Seducing Revenge
by ladyinblue6
Summary: Bella isn't your regular government agent. She's a rogue agent, and she's killing everyone that ruined her life. What happens when she takes an FBI agent, Edward Cullen, hostage? Will her revenge still be burned into her mind? AU, AH, OOC.
1. Prologue

"My dear Mr. Roscoe," I cooed in the old billionaire's ear. "What can I do for you tonight?"

Pretending to be a German seductress was not uncommon for me. Disguises were a part of my everyday life. Always someone new, someone no one would recognize. Being invisible was key in my line of self-employment.

"Well, my German kitten, you may let your imagination run wild when it comes to old Roscoe," the man answered with a wink.

Ugh. He reminded me of my grandfather. Same receding hair line, same white hair, same water blue eyes. Who would ever want to have sex with a grandpa? Gold diggers, I suppose.

I pulled my beige trench coat off to reveal a very racy set of lingerie. My bra and underwear were black with lace, my garter black sequence, and my fishnets accentuating my long, muscular legs. My heels were no easy feat. Four inches was four inches too much in my opinion.

"So, handcuffs are in order, no?" I whispered huskily, pulling a pair of handcuffs from my coat. "Shall I be the handcuffer or the handcuffee?"

Roscoe held out his wrists with an impish grin.

"Good boy," I murmured. Old men were easy to finish. I hadn't experienced a challenging target in weeks.

I handcuffed Roscoe and put my hands on my hips. A quick kill and out of New York City before midnight. Perfect. I walked behind Roscoe, pulling the knife out of my underwear. Too bad I hadn't thought to buy more poison. This man seemed like he could be nice.

I knelt on the bed behind Roscoe and brushed my lips along his wrinkly neck.

"You've had a good run, haven't you Mr. Roscoe?" I murmured, gripping his shoulder.

"Yes," he said with a chuckle. "A very good run."

"Goodbye, Roscoe." I slit the old man's throat and covered his throat with a towel. The blood was gushing through his papery thin skin.

I laid him down on the bed and quickly covered him up, trying to make it look like he had fallen asleep, not been murdered by a German prostitute.

I threw my trench coat back on and did it up. I cleared my throat and messed my hair a little bit. The guards were idiots; they wouldn't discover the body until noon tomorrow.

I slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind me. I walked to the door where my cheque was waiting for me. Two-thousand dollars. Not bad for five minutes. I slipped out into the night.

* * *

**This is an interesting fanfic, eh? I honestly haven't seen a fanfic where Bella has the upper-hand, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Bella is basically an assassin that went rogue. She used to work for the government, but she broke away and has been killing all of the people that made her the way she is. It gets much more interesting, I swear.**


	2. Chapter 2

I climbed into my sixty-eight Mercury that I had been living out of for the past three years. I slipped the blonde wig off and started the car, taking off towards Canada. Canada was a great place to go if you needed to lay low for a couple of days. I pulled my gloves off with my teeth and threw them in the back seat. I would burn those later.

I stopped at the first gas station I saw, bringing a pair of black yoga pants, a tight red shirt, and some runners with me. A trucker whistled as I shoved past him.

"Blow me," I muttered when I pushed his hand away from my ass. He was a real greasy trucker too. He hadn't seen a shower for a week at least.

"Gladly, sweet cheeks," he said, wagging his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and pushed the girl's washroom door open. I changed quickly, shoving my seductress costume in the trash can. I looked at myself in the mirror quickly.

I hadn't eaten a decent meal for a very long time and it was starting to show. My cheeks were hollowing out, making my cheek bones look extremely high. My eyes were still bright and mischievous; a deep chocolate brown. I ran my fingers through my long, dark hair, organizing any stray hairs. I grimaced at the look of my arms. They were too wiry for being an average woman. My legs looked deadly in the tight black pants. I was, after all, a man-made killing machine.

I am, but government standards, an experiment gone awry. I was _supposed_ to be a special international agent, flying all around the world, killing people that the government felt threatened by. Instead, I am a rogue agent, killing the people that made me what I am. Old Roscoe sponsored the project, Project R.

The R stood for three things. First of all, it stood for Roscoe, whom sponsored fifty percent of the project. Secondly, it represented how many specimens were in the project. R is the eighteenth letter in the alphabet, and there are eighteen of us killing machines. And lastly, all of the specimens have a code name. For example, mine was Red Bird. I was number eighteen in Project R.

The reason why I was picked last is because I'm the only female agent. The other seventeen are male. Typical. Even the government, the very same government that pushes women's rights, is sexist. There wasn't enough selection for more than one girl. We're not "strong" enough. Bullshit, I say. I'm the only agent that had successfully escaped Project R; the only girl squirmed free of the iron chokehold.

My own personal vendetta is against all persons that made me this way. There was one exception. The very first person I killed after escaping was my first boyfriend, Mike Newton. I killed him because he was the miserable asshole that had taken away two gifts from me. First was my virginity and second was my happiness.

Mike and I started dating when I was sixteen and he was eighteen. I used to be a preppy, petite plaything. I wasn't ditzy, but I acted like a ditz for attention. Guys noticed me and I took my pick. Mike was not only the most popular of my choices, but also the most kind.

So we dated. One month later, virginity was gone. Did I care? No, I was with Mike, how could things go wrong? My happiness jumped through the roof and, of course, I assumed that I loved him. I roll my eyes at my naive self now. I was head over heels in _lust_, there's no doubt about that, but love, not so much.

And I assumed that Mike loved me too. Another slap-my-forehead thought. Teenage boys don't love you, they have sex with you. End of story.

So I tried being the real me. Telling him that I liked metal rock more than pop rock and showing him my mini library of a room. He didn't take this very well. But I didn't see that right away. I started to act intelligent instead of like a bimbo. That was the final straw. I, a lowly junior, had outsmarted Mike, a top of the class senior.

He came over to my house that night, we had sex, and he said we were through and left. That's how Mike took my happiness away. It was completely necessary, but it still hurt like a bitch for the next year or so.

My popularity dropped, but at the same time, I became more like the person I was supposed to be. I listened to my music and read throughout the rest of school. My entire wardrobe changed, pink had died, and I was _content_. Contentment is what we search for. Some people think its happiness, but they're wrong. Happiness is temporary; contentment can last forever if you work for it.

I was finally content at seventeen. That's when I met _him_.

His name is James McCarthy. He taught me how to fight and how to rebellious. I dated him my entire senior year, being a very, very bad girl in doing so. He was twenty-four at the time and already apart of Project R. At first, he really did just want to date me, but after about two months, he realized my potential.

He didn't tell me right away that I'd be a specimen in an experiment; he just said that girls ought to know how to protect themselves. I took a lot of classes, all paid for by James. Eventually I made my way into street fights, starting out with fighting crazy bitches that could barely throw a punch and eventually made my way to the big leagues. I got kicked out of the games after I beat the top fighter in Phoenix. James was euphoric though and that made me happy. Once again, I let my happiness be decided by a man.

My mom, Renee, wasn't impressed with my broken nose and stitches, so she kicked me out, very quickly I might add. I moved in with James obviously, he was my everything at the time.

I continued to go to school and live with James for the rest of the senior year. After graduation, James said he had a surprise for me. The evil glint in his eyes threw me off guard, but I didn't ponder too much.

He took me to the lab in a limo, adorned in a deep blue sweater dress and black heels. I thought we were going out for supper. James said we had to stop at the office quickly before we could go. When the limo stopped, he smiled a genuinely warm smile at me and pulled me out of the limo. He kissed me tenderly on the forehead and led me to my new life.

I don't remember anything until I woke up weeks later. I knew I was different. My sense were keener, my body stronger. I looked around and I was in a white room and I was dressed in a white hospital dress. I sat up without feeling the familiar head rush.

"Hello, Bella," James' voice crackled from a speaker box on a table. "How you doin', baby? You've been asleep for a few weeks now."

I swallowed and in a clear voice said, "Better than I did before."

I could hear the smile in James' voice when he said, "That's exactly what we wanted to hear."

I went into a quick two week training camp after that. I learnt too many ways to kill a human and I found that I was much stronger than I should be. That's when my flawless, man-made mindset began to corrode.

I started remembering how it felt to be human. Not a man's plaything, but back to that sense of contentment. That's what I was striving for, and I knew that the only way I could ever feel that way would be to kill off those that stood in the way of that sense of contentment.

I ran away as soon as they left me alone in my apartment. I ran to Quebec, knowing that they wouldn't bother looking for me there. I knew French through James. He had me tutored by a creep named Laurent. The lucky bastard wasn't on my list though. I had bigger fish to fry.

I stayed in Quebec and organized myself. I had enough money in my back account to last me five months, which was more than enough. I had a car to live in and to get me from place to place. I bought disguises and raided a gun dealership, only stealing a small handgun and a few knives. Nothing majorly important.

Then the search began. I thought that Mike would be the perfect person to practice my skills on first, seeing as he was the least important.

I found out that he was going to school in Texas on football scholarship, so off to Houston I went. I talked to a few cheerleaders, asking where I could find Mike Newton. They looked surprised to see someone like me looking for someone like Mike. But I found out that he liked to go to a bar called Shots and Stools every Friday.

On Friday, September thirteenth, my twentieth birthday, I walked into Shots and Stools, looking like your every day college girl. I wore light wash, low riding jeans with pink sandals and a short plaid shirt that I made even shorter by tying the ends together. I even wore a black wig to make me less recognizable. That night I was Kasey McCloud, a sorority girl that was looking for a real man.

Mike immediately set his eyes on me. This was too easy. We danced, he drank, he _thought_ I drank, and we went back to his dorm. I let him fool around with me for a while, but then I grabbed my blindfold.

"Don't look," I warned him as I pulled my knife out of my purse.

"I won't," he promised with a big, stupid smile on his face. I always had hated that dumb grin of his.

I straddled him and trailed my left hand down Mike's stomach.

"I hope you had fun, Newton," I whispered in a seething manner before slicing his throat and tying one of Mike's shirts around his neck.

I cleaned up my evidence very thoroughly and washed the blood off my hands. Luckily my fingertips had been removed while my body had been changed.

I smiled as I left Mike's dorm. Some people feel guilty after killing someone, but I felt myself take that first step towards eternal contentment.

* * *

**Yep, this is my baby! :) I love this story so much already, hehe. It's evil, but awesome. Bella is turning out to be quite the killer, eh? I like it, I like it a lot. Edward will appear... sometime in the future. Happy holidays, merry christmas, and all that other great stuff! One more day for me! Can't wait! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

I washed my make-up off and walked back out into the convenience store and grabbed a bottle of water and a pack of a gum. I paid for these and went back outside. I started up my old Mercury and took off for Quebec.

I sang along to the Rolling Stones while I continued to think about my list of assassinations. After Mike, I started to make my way up the ladder from least important to most important. I started with the men at the training camp and made my way up to the surgeons and scientists that enhanced my body. After those people, I started attacking the sponsors. This was a little bit more fun because I got to travel and use my many disguises.

Poor old Roscoe was the last on my list of sponsors. Now I needed to finish Project R off. I needed to kill Victoria Tompkins, Aro Basso, Carlisle Cullen, and James McCarthy. The four that started it all. First on the last list was Victoria. Women were easier than men to catch alone, especially if the woman was a part of a secret program. Aro would be fairly easy too. He had no family with him in Italy, just a lonely old man.

The other two, however, were a different story.

James, obviously, knew who I was and knew the very essence of my being. He knew things about me that I probably didn't even know.

Carlisle Cullen would be the hardest on my emotions though. He had a wife and two boys that were already grown up. He was a famous doctor in North America. He _seemed_ like a decent guy. Just like Roscoe in a way.

I slammed on the brakes and pulled into an abandoned farm yard. I got out, breathing heavily. I burnt my gloves while I was out.

"Stop feeling guilty," I warned myself out loud. "This is what you need."

I felt the guilt and shame slowly leave my heart and become replaced with the icy vengeance. I nodded in satisfaction and got back in my car.

I sped off towards my sanctuary for a few days worth of rest and to track down Ms. Victoria Tompkins.

* * *

It only took a few days to get organized. Victoria was stationed in Chicago, living in an apartment near the government building. She probably thought she'd be safer with her peers right there, but, boy, was she ever wrong. This made my tracking job millions of times easier. I already had my favourite knife and some arsenic tucked into my purse, calling to me to use. I had turned absolutely lethal. How many people can say they have a favourite knife?

I took a few more days to build up my strength and pull some money out of my account. I was going straight from Chicago to Italy. I wanted to get the two easy targets out of the way as quickly as possible so I'd have time to concentrate on the physically and emotionally hard kills.

I left a message on my mom's answering machine from the Toronto airport, trying to lead the agency on a wild goose chase. I bought two tickets under my real name, Bella Swan, to the Northwest Territories and to Los Angeles. _I hope they have fun with that_, I thought with an evil grin.

Then I hopped in good old Mer and headed towards Chicago, already feeling closer to eternal contentment.

* * *

I got to Chicago and things proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Victoria Tompkins was always with a man. Not the same man, a different man every night. Either she had a lot of male cousins, or she was a big slut.

I had considered just killing one of the men that came home with her, but that wasn't right. I know, assassins usually don't have standards on who they kill, but I wasn't willing to kill innocent people.

Finally, after a week of sitting outside Ms. Tompkins apartment building, I found my opportunity. She was walking home with one of my fellow Project R agents.

Thank God it was one of the smart agents and not one of the brawny ones. He's have a decent sense of strategy, but not enough strength to carry it out. My strength and strategy were both well above average. This would be a piece of cake.

I recognized the man as Erick Yorkie. God, could this get any easier? He was the computer hacker of Project R. I rolled my eyes before crossing the street to Victoria's apartment. I wasn't wearing a disguise today. I was going to pretend that I was ready to be loyal again and then, as subtly as possible, kill them both.

I entered the apartment building and asked the man at the front desk where I could find Ms. Victoria Tompkins.

He gave me a confused look. Apparently Victoria was more of a slut than I thought.

"Apartment four-oh-three, floor four," he said with another confused look.

"I'm here sister," I said with a smile.

"Ah," he said, finally relaxing his scowl.

I smiled and went into the elevator.

I took a deep breath before slipping my knife into my jacket pocket. This could be a little bit more challenging than usual. I'd never taken on two people at once.

I got out of the elevator and quickly identified door number four-oh-three. I knocked quietly and waited, playing with my sunglasses.

The door swung open.

"Redbird?" Victoria asked, her eyes wide. "What-what are you doing here?"

I smiled. "I decided to re-declare my loyalty to Project R. I've been bored out of my tree for the past few years."

"Oh-h, do come in," Victoria said, stepping to the side.

She was nervous. That was good. And her apartment wasn't cramped. There was nowhere for her or Yorkie to hide.

"So, where have you been all these years?" she asked, slipping in front of me. I saw that her hair was slightly awry. Her and Yorkie had been doing something dirty....

"Mostly in Quebec," I said, looking for any signs of hidden camera. "It has a certain... je ne sais quoi, _feeling _to it." I smirked and turned to face her. "How's Project R been going?"

"Very good," Victoria said, looking down at the counter she was leaning on. "We've only lost one of our members, Tyler Crowley, to a mishap in Korea. At least he took a dozen foreign spies down with him."

I nodded, pretending to be impressed. There were no cameras that I could see, but it didn't matter. I needed to get out of her quickly. My plane left in an hour.

"Who else is in the apartment, Tompkins?" I asked, taking my sunglasses off and looking her straight in the eyes.

"What do you mean, Redbird?" she asked, trying to look innocent.

"I know there's someone else here," I said, giving her a cold glare. "Your doorman told me."

Her eyes widened and she swallowed loudly. Now she was really nervous.

"It's just another agent," she stammered. "His flight got delayed and he asked if he could spend the night."

"Who?" I repeated coolly.

"Roger, Agent Roger," she said quietly.

I smiled, mocking delight. "Ah, Yorkie. I haven't seen him since Assassin's Camp. How is he? Or can he tell me himself?"

"Uh, sure," Victoria said. "Roger! Redbird is here and she would like to see you!"

Yorkie emerged from the bedroom looking thoroughly guilty. I smiled at him, clenching my knife tightly.

"Yokrie," I said with a nod. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," he said quietly, looking at the ground. "And you?"

"Just Jim Dandy," I said, smiling. "How's the hacking going? Before I left you were working on an FBI computer. Those buggers wouldn't leave us alone, huh?"

Yorkie nodded with a nervous smile. "Yeah, I hacked them pretty quickly. But ever since Cullen became head of the bureau, we've been working together."

"Cullen?" I asked in surprise. "As in Carlisle's son? Since when?"

"Yes, Emmett," Yorkie continued. "Just last year. And Edward, Carlisle's other son, is a top dog in international affairs. We see a lot of him down at the office."

"I bet," I said, still surprised. Over a year ago? Why hadn't I been keeping tabs on the FBI? Jesus, I needed to get my act together. _Later, _I reminded myself.

"Well, I best be off. I have a flight to D.C.," I said quickly. "I'm meeting James there."

I went for Yorkie first. I shook his hand with a friendly smile.

"Take care of yourself, Roger," I said. I grabbed my knife and pulled him into a hug, shoving the knife through his stomach.

He groaned before I shoved him away.

Victoria looked at me in horror and I smiled evilly.

"C'mon, Tompkins, can't you give an old friend a hug?" I asked.

She backed into the counter behind her and tears filled her eyes.

"See you in hell," I said before stabbing her in the throat. She'd be dead soon.

I checked Yorkie's pulse. He was already dead. I quickly washed my knife in the sink and shoved my gloves down the garbage disposal. I left my jacket on Victoria's coat rack; it didn't matter if they knew it was me, and left the apartment building.

I smiled at the doorman and he gave me a worried look. Hmm, I wonder why.

I hopped into a cab and called a tow truck to come and pick up my Mercury. I'd pick the old girl up when I got back.

We arrived at the airport just in time to board. I threw my knife out before entering my terminal and then boarded the plane without any trouble.

I was off to Italy to finish another person off. But I couldn't help but to notice a very attractive man with bronze hair and emerald green eyes staring at me.

* * *

**Ah, and the plot thickens! I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to be posting anything else until 2009, but I finished this unexpectedly, so I posted it. Hope everyone enjoys and Happy (early) Christmas Eve! **

**Just to clear some things up: Redbird is Bella's agent name. Yorkie, Eric, and Roger are all the same person, Bella is just getting back into using Project R slang. It seems confusing, but it's not really.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Shit," I muttered to myself. I had forgotten that I'd need a place to stay in Italy. I couldn't just stay in a vehicle while I was here. They'd be hot on my trail by now.

I needed to get a hold of the one person I trusted in this world, Jacob Black. I had met him back in high school, after Mike but before James. He was the only person that I would give the time of day to. He was the person I ran to after gathering my wits when I ran away from Project R. Lucky for me he had turned into a total technological genius. He could crack any code, fix any gadget, and find connections all over the world. He was sort of my assistant, in a way that didn't require for him to fight.

After the seatbelt light turned black, I went to the stewardess.

"I need a phone," I said in a desperate voice. "I left my insulin at home. I have enough to last me until I get to Italy, but I don't have enough for the rest of my trip. My husband will have to bring it with him."

The stewardess narrowed her eyes. Oh, she was a bitchy one, I could tell.

"We have plenty of insulin on the plane, I'm sure we could spare you some," she said coolly.

"How much?" I asked, popping my hip and crossing my arms, getting a bit impatient.

"A week's worth."

I snorted. "I'm here for a year, lady. Just let me use the phone."

Her lips tightened and then she showed me to the phone. It was in its own separate room, thank God. You never knew who might be listening.

I dialled Jacob's cell and he picked up immediately.

"Bella!" he blurted. "Where the hell are you? Why are you going to Italy? Why didn't you phone me after you killed Tompkins? And _Yorkie_? Jesus, Bella –"

"Jacob," I interrupted. "Settle down. I'm in the air right now. Aro is in Italy, I'm going to finish him a-sap. It totally slipped my mind to phone you after Tompkins. It wasn't difficult, just sort of unfortunate that I had to kill Yorkie, but he was the only choice I had. Tompkin's had a man _every God damn night_!

"Anyway, there are a few things I need done. First, I need a hotel room for a while, probably a week or so. Secondly, do not ever, ever turn your cell off and always carry it with you. You never know when I might need something. And, lastly, I need Edward Cullen's life story right away. I want every dirty detail. Ev-ery-thing. Understand, Jakie-poo?"

"Uh, okay," Jacob said. I could tell he was confused by the nickname. "So, hotel room, cell phone, Cullen?"

"Yep," I said with a nod.

"Okay, bye for now, Bella," Jacob said reluctantly. "For God's sake, be careful out there. Don't kill yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, _mom_. I'll phone you later. Bye."

I hung up and smiled at bitchy-stewardess when I left the room. I sat down, a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. I didn't need to worry about shelter, food, water, emergencies, or Edward Cullen now. I actually smiled. Things had been going smoothly so far.

We landed in Italy and I took my tiny carry-on with me to find a taxi. It was a good thing I had taken Italian in school.

Once I got in the cab, I phoned Jake to find out where I was staying. I gave the name to my greasy cab driver and off we went

I was staying at a very nice hotel.

"Thank you Jacob," I murmured as I entered my room.

There was a balcony, a king-sized bed, a plasma screen TV, and a huge bathtub. I would definitely be taking advantage of that.

I phoned room service and ordered some salad, just so my stomach would stop growling, and a bottle of champagne. I couldn't help but to celebrate a little bit. Three more that was all. Three more and then I could live on some distant island, never resurfacing in the U.S. again.

"Grazie," I said with a smile. I gave the man a nice tip and then closed the door.

I demolished my salad and then took my iPod, my laptop, and the bottle of champagne with me to the bathtub.

I picked off my skin tight black pants and shirt; I didn't bother with underwear much anymore, and hopped in the scalding water.

A long sigh of relief and contentment left my lips. I cracked the bottle of champagne and took a long swig. I had my laptop on a chair beside the bathtub so I could check my e-mails from Jake. There were four from before I killed Victoria, two from before I talked to him on the phone, and two that I wanted to read.

The first one gave me Aro's location. The bastard was spending the month in the Alps. I was already hooked up with a snowmobile and a helicopter ride. Thank God for Jacob.

The second was about Edward Cullen. There was the usual stuff like, he was born on June twentieth, his parents were Carlisle and Esme Cullen, he had Emmett Cullen as a brother, and he was an international agent for the FBI. But, once again, thank the Lord for Jacob. He found me some very dirty details.

Like how he had failed out of med school. Or that he lost his virginity to a girl named Jessica Stanley.

I laughed out loud at this one: he had been briefly engaged to Playboy Bunny wannabe, Tanya Denali. I snorted again; the champagne was already taking effect. It would have been fun to seduce this man. All I would have had to do was put on a blonde wig and I would have been set!

I wondered what he looked like as I scrolled to his physical description. Bronze hair, green eyes, six-two, lean body, usually seen in a suit.... All of these were ringing a bell that made my body prepare for danger. Then I remembered. The man that had been staring at me on the plane had all of those features. Edward Cullen was already on my case.

I let an infuriated roar and stood up. Damn it! Why couldn't anything be easy? I grabbed the champagne and walked out onto the balcony, still naked. It was dreadfully cold out, but I was too mad to care. I took a long swig and looked out at my gorgeous view of Rome.

I heard someone clear their throat and I glared in the direction on the sound.

Even better. It was Edward Cullen seeing me naked in the dead of winter. I sighed and pretended to know nothing about him.

"Isn't it a bit cold for your current, um, attire?" Cullen asked with a smirk.

Oh, cocky was he?

I smiled sarcastically. "I came out here to dry off and hopefully catch my death of a cold."

"Why's that?" he asked, still smirking.

"I don't ever want to leave Rome," I said, wistfully as I could. I was still livid and that wasn't helping my acting skills very much. "I'm only here for a week but I never want to leave."

Cullen looked out at the view and turned back to me. "It's very enticing to stay here, isn't it?"

I smiled, hoping that the dreamy look was coming over my face.

"Well, now that I've seen you naked, I suppose I'm obligated to ask you what your name is," Cullen said, still wearing that crooked, smug smirk.

"Raina," I said with a smile. "Raina Williams, and yours?"

"Edward Cullen," he replied.

Maybe he didn't know who I was....

"Where are you from?" I asked, crossing my arms over my bare chest.

"I'm originally from Chicago." He paused. "Why don't you go put on a dress and I'll take you out for a nice Italian supper. We can continue this conversation then."

I smiled. _Keep your friends close but keep your enemy's closer_ was never more true now as it ever was. "Sure, give me twenty minutes."

"I'll be in the lobby."

I slipped back into the room and did a happy little jump. Sure, I would have to kill him with my own bare hands, but wow! A FBI agent? I knew I was being very sadistic in admitting this, but I was beyond excited. Maybe it was the fact that he would be my greatest challenge, but I think it was mostly because he was compatible with James. If I could kill this guy, it would boost my self-confidence and help me finish my task.

I pulled on a black bra and thong before sliding a little black dress on. I quickly combed my waves and applied some mascara. I put on a pair of ridiculous heels and clasped my mother's black pearls around my neck. Did I forget to mention that my favourite colour is black?

I checked Cullen's strengths and weaknesses quickly before leaving. His strengths included seeing through disguises and reading people's faces. That could be a problem. But his weaknesses were in my favour. Women and controlling his emotions.

I grabbed my cell phone and my purse before heading out for my date with death.

* * *

**Wahoo. Here we go now. This is the beginning of the real plot. I think I've explained everything to the best of my ability! Uhh, thanks to everyone for reviewing and adding this story to your subscription! Keep reviewing and stuff! **

**Ohhh, Edward. He's in for a surprise. I'm just gunna tell you, he has no idea who Bella is. And you'll find out what he's actually doing in Italy in the next chapter, I think. And, Jacob does _not_ have a thing for Bella. I'll clear that up right now. He's just her friend and that's all he wants to be. So, there. Take that.**

**Review!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'd just like to thank each and everyone of my reviewer's, story subscribers, and favouriters (I think I made that word up, haha). You have no idea what this means to me! And, oh my Lord, thank you to my Beta, Annie (FancyJumper)! **

* * *

I stepped out of the elevator and immediately saw Cullen. His hair and body build were unmistakable. I put on my best fake smile and strolled over to him. He seemed to be pondering an abstract sculpture, but for all I knew, he could be anticipating my every move, waiting to find my weakness.

I stood beside him and crossed my arms, scowling at the sculpture. It reminded me of what happened to sand when lightning struck it....

"It's very interesting, no?" an Italian man asked me from my left.

I smiled and nodded before turning my attention back to the piece of art.

"It's very abstract," Edward replied. "I'm not entirely sure what it's meant to represent, but I'm sure it means something."

"That's what happens to sand when it's struck by lightning," I murmured softly, still scowling at it. "You have to be quick to see it though."

Edward and the Italian man looked at me, both surprised.

"Very good," the Italian said, smiling at me. "Not many people have seen this before. May I ask where you're from?"

"Phoenix, Arizona," I said, returning the smile. "But I saw it happen on _Sweet Home Alabama_."

Edward chuckled and the Italian man looked confused.

"It's a movie," I said in an apologetic tone.

The Italian man nodded and dejectedly walked away. I couldn't help but to crack a grin at his disappointment.

"Very well played," Cullen complimented while smiling. "Shall we?" He gestured towards the main door.

I nodded and linked my arm with his, clutching my purse tightly. I needed to calm down.

We walked out into the cool evening and had a car waiting for us. Apparently he knew where to go, and that made me nervous. What if I had been set up? Maybe they were taking me to the American embassy. And I didn't even have a God damn weapon....

"You're awfully quiet," Cullen observed with another crooked smile.

I smiled as best I could. "Surprises tend to have that effect on me. Can you tell me where we're going?"

"Agata e Romeo," Cullen stated, still smirking.

I couldn't help the scowl that slipped over my smile. The restaurant was well-known and there was bound to be a lot of witnesses. Maybe I was over-analyzing Mister Edward Cullen.

"Don't like that restaurant?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, assessing my frown.

"No, no, it's not that," I assured him, smiling again. "It's just that...well; I thought maybe we'd be going somewhere...quieter." The old blush that I could usually control crept back into my cheeks like an old friend and I looked at him through my eyelashes.

Cullen looked like a blind man seeing that sun for the first time. His jaw was slack and his emerald eyes were fixed on my brown eyes. He regained his brain, which I'm sure fell out his ass, and looked away, running his left hand through his tousled bronze locks.

"Well this isn't _just_ a dinner date," he said, his voice huskier than usual. "We can have champagne back at my room, if you don't mind."

"Why not my room?" I asked, leaning closer to him. "You get dinner, I'll get the drinks."

Cullen gulped. "O-okay."

I smiled and pulled away. "Sounds perfect."

"It sure does," Cullen muttered as he ran his hand through his hair again.

The car stopped in front of a busy building. I gulped. This was the nerve-wracking part for me. If I could make it through dinner, the rest would be easy as pie.

I didn't know if I could lie to Cullen. He might see right through me. Hell, he might already know who I am. I sighed. Luck of the draw now. I said a quick prayer to the Big Guy upstairs, not that He cared about me anymore, and stepped out into the crowd with Edward.

He put his arm around my waist and held me close while we made our way to the door. _This is easy enough_, I thought happily. _And he's easy to talk to talk to. I just can't slipup_.

I took a deep breath before we left the chaos behind. Edward kept his arm around my waist as we walked behind the host, who was leading us to our table. He pulled out my chair for me and I sat down.

It was a very romantic setting. Candlelight, formal, isolations, the works. I even had a rose on my plate.

"This is...romantic," I said slowly, smiling.

"That was the vibe I was going for," Cullen admitted with a smile. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," I stammered, letting the blush loose again. "So, what brings you to Roma?"

Cullen smiled a sly smile, like he knew something I didn't. How very wrong he was.

"Business trip," he answered. "I'm off to the Alps in two days. You?"

"Business as well," I confessed, copying his smile. "I'm here until the end of the week."

"What business are you in?" Edward asked.

I panicked. What kind of business _was_ I in? I couldn't very well say assassination.

"Flight attendant," I barely choked out.

"Oh," Edward mused, his brow furrowing. "This is going to sound odd, but I swore I saw you on my flight here as a passenger."

God damn him and his observations!

"You must have been mistaken," I smiled convincingly.

Edward considered this while my mind raced and my heart beat wildly in my chest. Jesus was this ever a bad idea. Why couldn't we just skip to the part where I kill him? Honest to God, killing someone right now would be easier on my nerves than _this_.

"Maybe," Edward finally decided. He smiled. "What kind of wine do you like?"

"Red, please," I murmured, still nervous beyond comprehension. Red calmed me down, oddly enough. It was familiar, almost soothing. Red was the colour of blood, which I was overly friendly with.

Edward ordered some red wine and our meals. I hadn't even looked at the menu.

"Trust me," Edward tempted with a smile.

I nodded and smiled. I could change the subject now that the waiter had disappeared.

"So, what business do _you_ have in Rome, Mister Cullen?" I asked, smiling and leaning closer.

"I'm the CEO of a gondola company," he replied smoothly. He had practiced this a few times apparently. "Lots of clientele in the Alps." He grinned.

I smirked. "I suppose there would be."

"I'm assuming there's no one special waiting for you in Phoenix," Edward questioned lowly, avoiding my gaze.

I smiled gently. "No, there isn't. Too much travelling, too little time. I'm assuming the same for you, Mister Cullen?"

"Please," he beseeched, touching my hand that was resting on the table. "Call me Edward. And no, there's no one. Too much...travelling." He smiled that same sly grin.

"Oh, don't tell me there isn't a lucky girl back in Chicago, Edward," I teased. "That would be a tragedy in itself, a handsome man like yourself all alone."

"No, no girl in Chicago," he confessed hesitantly, pulling his hand away. "I would like to settle down eventually, but I've never found the right woman."

I smiled knowingly. I had been like that once. Now, the chances of me ever marrying are none.

"Don't you want to settle down one day, Raina?" he asked, his emerald eyes smouldering.

"Well – uh, no," I stammered, engulfed by the intensity of his stare. "Never have been the kind of girl willing to leave single life behind me."

I couldn't help but to notice his face fall slightly, but he picked it back up again quickly with a rueful smile.

"Little miss independent, huh?" he asked. "We could use girls like you in my line of work."

"The gondola line of work?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He really had dropped the ball. He was obviously talking about being an agent.

"Well, y-yes, of course," he stuttered, realizing his mistake. "Women are much more persuasive and trustworthy than men."

The wine came, thankfully. It was almost painful to watch Edward drown in his lie. The waiter poured us each a glass and then set the bottle in its ice bucket.

"Your meal shall be here in a few moments, signor," he informed in a heavily accented voice.

"_Grazie_," Edward thanked.

I took a sip from my goblet of a wine glass. It had a rich, dry taste, just how I liked it.

"Ah, this is wonderful," I sighed contentedly, holding my glass to my lips again.

"Red wine is my preference too," Edward agreed. "It's just so soothing."

Wow, could this guy read minds or what?

I set my glass down and proclaimed, "Excuse me, I need to freshen up."

"Oh, of course," Edward exclaimed, jumping up.

He pulled my chair out for me and grabbed my hand while I stood up.

"Maybe the food will come faster this way," I predicted with a wink.

He grinned back before I took off to hyperventilate.

I hung my head over a sink, breathing heavily. God damn Edward Cullen in all his godly ways. He was witty, charming, drop dead gorgeous, and on top of all that, he probably had as many kills as I did. I couldn't kill the guy. I was already getting attached to him, even though no Project R agent was supposed to become emotionally attached to someone.

But then again, I wasn't an agent for Project R anymore.

I applied some more mascara and red lipstick before heading out. I would just play it all by ear. I would have to get Edward out of the way somehow.

I sat down and the food showed up simultaneously.

"You were right," Edward declared with a smile.

"Always am," I replied, returning a weak smile. I looked at my plate. It was pasta of some sort. "What is this?"

"___**Buckwheat pasta primavera**_," Edward quoted. "It's good, trust me."

I stared at my plate, still wary.

Edward chuckled before poking his fork into one of the noodles and eating it himself.

"See, it's not poisoned," he teased with a grin. "Try some."

I was still wary. My stomach didn't fare well with new food. Edward rolled his eyes before picking up another noodle with his fork. He slowly pushed the fork towards my face.

"C'mon, you know you want to try some," he said.

I smiled but kept my lips tight.

"Hmm," Edward said, still smiling. "You'll take some persuading...."

"Wait," I interceded.

Edward shoved the noodle into my mouth. God was he ever right. The pasta was _amazing_. I chewed and swallowed.

"Wow," I exclaimed. "That was wonderful."

Edward chuckled. "See? What did I tell you?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Do you want a trophy?"

Edward grinned. "I had something else in mind."

My heart skipped a beat. "Oh? And what would that be?"

Edward got a mock thoughtful look on his face as we both leaned closer. "I don't know, something that I've wanted since I saw you storm onto the balcony."

"To cover me up in decent clothes?" I asked teasingly.

"No, definitely not that," Edward murmured. We were an inch apart now. "This."

And our lips met.

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**Okay, so here's the romantic part of the story. Don't be counting on a lot of romance for a long time after this though. Honestly, the next chapter is...smutty, to say the least, and then after that, this is the house of abstinence until later chapters. Sorry if anyone thought there would be mad sex chapters. **

**Now, to talk about the chapter:**

**Bella has become emotionally attached to someone for the first time in a long time. She hadn't been really emotionally attached to anyone since James, although she could feign affection quite well. Also, the motif of Bella's blushing was ultimately removed for this story, just because it's a dead give-away of her emotions. She can pretty much turn it on and off now. Just so that's cleared up... And, what else? Oh, of course, Edward _cannot_ see through Bella's disguise, just like in the books where he can't read her mind. I did my homework :). **

**And for everyone that likes it when Bella turns into psycho killer, don't not worry, she'll be using many more knives and guns in future chapters.**

**Keep reviewing! **


	6. Chapter 6

**I just want to thank everyone for reviews, favourites, and subscriptions to this story! I didn't think this would be so popular!**

* * *

God, I'd waited too long for a girl like her. But I wasn't willing to push her. Oh no, I'd savour this particular kiss. I could get a little bit rougher later tonight.

Her lips were quite the opposite of mine. Mine were smooth and warm while hers were chapped and icy. Combined they found that perfect equilibrium.

I pulled away before my body could take over. I sat back down with a goofy smile on my face. Sure, it wasn't exactly what I wanted to do, but it was much more than I had hoped for when I first met Raina.

Raina leaned away, a hint of confusion in her eyes, but still smiling gently, like she had just discovered something new.

"I hope I didn't offend you," I teased, knowing fully that she hadn't been offended at all. At least I hoped not. She was very mysterious.

"Oh no, of course not," she answered, smiling at me. "That was very nice of you. It's been a while since I've had a real kiss."

"Me too," I admitted, running my hand through my already messy hair.

"Bet I've gone longer," she said playfully. "Four years, beat that."

I held my tongue to the roof of my mouth so my jaw wouldn't fall slack. Four years? A girl like her? And for some reason, I knew she wasn't lying.

"Yeah, okay, you win," I surrendered, grinning despite my shock. "It's only been six months for me. But why haven't you kissed anyone in four years? I'm sure there were plenty of offers."

She pondered this for a second. "Well, I've kissed people in the past four years, but nobody that I've actually wanted to," she explained.

"So you wanted to kiss me?" I asked with another goofy smile.

She nodded, that gorgeous hue of pink creeping into her cheeks. I was still shocked that someone like _her_ was sitting across the table from someone like _me_.

"Well, I guess I'm a lucky guy then," I said with a grin, not willing to get sentimental on a first date. "I've caught the attention of a picky girl."

She smiled seductively at me. "You should feel lucky, Mister Cullen."

I looked down at my food as shivers ran down my spine at having her silken voice say my name like that. I took a bite of my fettuccini and chewed it slowly, considering why I was here.

I'd be in the Alps in a day or so, protecting one of my father's colleagues. Aro was like the eccentric uncle of my family, always dropping in for a visit at inconvenient times. Like last year when he stopped by to give me an early wedding present after I left Tanya.

But, an uncle all the same. I had to protect him from some crazy rogue agent. I hadn't bothered with her profile, by the looks of her past murders, she'd come straight to me. There was no way this crazy bitch was going to hurt anyone I was close with. Especially my dad. Oh, the torturous things I would do to this Bella Swan if she ever came near Mom and Dad. She'd be regretting the day she was conceived.

Raina was downing glasses of wine like a recovering alcoholic.

"Are you ready to leave?" she asked suddenly.

I looked at her curiously. She was so abrupt and it made me nervous...and sort of turned on. "S-sure," I stammered.

I called the waiter over and requested the bill. The waiter looked a little surprised at the short amount of time we had spent here, but I didn't care. The sooner the better, in my opinion.

She filled another glass of wine and finished it in two gulps. She looked nervous. Did I make her nervous? I hoped so. It had been way too long since I'd been around a woman that I was attracted to.

The waiter came back and I stuffed more than enough money into the folder before he could walk away.

"_G-grazie_," the waiter thanked me, looking at the generous tip with wide eyes.

I got up and grabbed Raina's hand, leading her through the restaurant and out onto the street. I had told the driver to stick around, and sure enough, he was still waiting for us. I opened the back door for Raina and gestured for her to climb in. She smiled at me before slipping into the backseat, followed by me. I didn't need to give directions this time, so Sergio, the driver, took off for the hotel.

"The gondola business must be thriving," Raina teased. "That was a very generous tip."

What? Oh, my fake job. If I wasn't careful, I'd forget that Raina didn't really know me. It felt like I'd known her for years.

I smiled, still shaky from the second of confusion. "Very much so. We just opened up to the big mountains a few years ago, so we've been receiving a lot of clients."

I was tempted to tell her everything, get all this evasiveness out of the way early rather than wait. Then again, who knew if I'd even see this girl again?

I'd made the mistake of lying to Tanya until after I proposed to her. She thought I was some hot shot lawyer that had clients all over the world. Dad finally convinced me that she would understand when I told her the truth.

So I told her. I told her that I worked for the FBI in the international bureau and I had been lying to protect her. She seemed to be taking it well. But then she tried to blackmail me. I was so upset and shocked by this that I ordered for her to have a memory swipe. She has no clue who I am now.

My phone started ringing in my pocket. I looked at the number before answering it. The caller I.D. showed that it was Emmett. I grimaced and asked the driver to pull over.

"Excuse me," I murmured to Raina before stepping out into the evening air.

I closed the door and walked away from the car.

"Emmett," I breathed into the phone.

"Hey there, Edward," Emmett piped in cheerfully. It always amazed me that my older brother could remain cheerful in our line of work. "Got some info for ya."

"And what would that be?" I asked, looking back at the car.

"Ms. Bella Swan is in Rome," he explained. "We traced a call from her cell phone to the airport in Rome around the same time you landed. And she's supposedly staying at the same hotel as you, too. She's a sneaky bitch. She only uses a cell phone when absolutely necessary, but we can never seem to find out who she's calling."

My lips formed a tight line. The rat was somewhere near me and I hadn't even noticed. "I'll check it out in the morning."

"Okay, cool," Emmett agreed. I could tell he was grinning. "Guess what, bro?"

"You finally figured out that the Red Sox suck?" I joked.

"Ha. You're so funny. No, for real though. I proposed to Rosalie Hale, y'know, Jasper's twin?"

"Alice's fiancée?" I asked to clear things up. Our families, the Hale's and the Cullen's I mean, we're very close, but I hadn't been around in a while.

"Yep, that's the one," Emmett confirmed. "And she said a big hell yes. We're getting married in July. So, clear up your schedule."

I snorted. "You clear it up for me, boss."

Emmett chuckled. "Right, I have complete control over you. I forgot."

I rolled my eyes. "You've always thought you were in control, idiot. But, I gotta go. Your little bro is on a big date."

Emmett let out a whistle. "_My_ little bro? No fuckin' way. Way to go, pal. She got nice tits?"

"Emmett," I hissed. "That's none of your concern. I'll phone you when I get to Aro's. Goodbye."

"Bye, 'lil bro. Bang her good and hard for me," Emmett chirped.

I groaned before snapping my phone shut. What a pig.

I got back in the vehicle to find Raina chewing her lip to mush. I smiled and told the driver to keep going.

"You look nervous," I observed, smiling.

She looked at me sideways and smiled even though her teeth were still snared on her pouty bottom lip.

I chuckled and felt my body relax from the news I'd just received. It was amazing how unnaturally relaxed I felt around Raina.

The driver pulled up to our hotel. I'd paid him before we left, but I gave him a tip anyway. He seemed like a decent guy.

I offered my arm to Raina and she blushed, looking at the ground. She looped her surprisingly muscular arm in mine and looked at me through her dark eyelashes. I could feel my heart palpitating against my ribcage, threatening to over-exert itself.

I cleared my throat and led her to the elevators. We made it up to our floor and we strolled towards Rain's room. We were silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was soothing.

Raina typed in her code to the room and opened the door, letting me in. The room was the same as mine and I wondered how she could afford something like this on a flight attendant's salary.

She slipped her heels off.

"Would like champagne or...?" Raina trailed as she tucked her legs underneath her on the floor, holding the phone.

"Champagne would be perfect," I answered with a smile.

She smiled and said, "Wonderful, I'll order some strawberries, too."

She phoned the front desk and spoke perfect Italian. This girl was indeed full of surprises and mysterious. It's such a shame I couldn't get to know her better.

She was quite literally my dream girl. I generally wasn't a shallow man, but like every other human being, I did have my image of my perfect girl would look like. Coincidentally, Raina was my dream down to the blush that covered the apples of her cheeks. She had the thick brown hair with that slight curl in it that made me want to run my fingers through it. Her large, doe-like chocolate brown eyes automatically feigned innocence, but I knew this little vixen was far from innocent. Her pouty, red lips made me want assault them; make them a little bit redder and more swollen. Her figure was a perfect hourglass, practically begging me to run my hands over every crest and trough from her chest to her thighs.

"_Grazie_," she thanked before hanging up. She stood up and smirked at me, shaking her head. "Make yourself comfortable, Mister Cullen. I won't bite hard."

I laughed before loosening my tie and slipping off my black dress shoes. She patted the spot next to her on the couch. She seemed much more relaxed now that we were in her territory.

I sat down, resting my arms on the back of the couch. She curled her legs into her side and leaned closer to me.

"Would you mind it if I slipped into something more comfortable?" she questioned, looking straight into my eyes.

I was so distracted by the overbearing sexual tension in my body that all I could do was stare and nod. She smiled and slipped into the bedroom, which was separated from the kitchen and lounge area by a screen door. I could see Raina's shadow perfectly and there was no way I was going to pull my eyes away now.

She stood in front of the closet for a second, looking through clothes. She finally decided on an outfit, which she laid on the bed. She undid the zipper of her dress and let it puddle to the ground. I swallowed loudly. There was already a straining in my pants and all I could see was her silhouette.

She pulled on another dress. This disappointed me a little bit. Usually when I girl says she's going to make herself "more comfortable" she comes out wearing nothing but a risqué bra and panties.

She emerged and my heartbeat increased. She was wearing a much shorter dress now. It was a deep midnight blue mini dress that went to her creamy mid thigh. Her black stockings went up to just past her knees and they were held up by straps that most likely were attached to her underwear.

"That's better," she murmured while pulling her wavy hair into a long ponytail.

There was a knock at the door and she skipped over there, exposing her entire thigh and her black boy shorts. She opened the door and the maître d' came in with a champagne bottle in a bucket of ice and a rather large bowl of strawberries. Raina talked to him in swift Italian and the boy looked dazed as he tried not to look at her body.

He left us, but not before looking at Raina's retreating figure. He smiled and then closed the door. A pang of jealousy shot through my body. No one should be able to look at her like that.

Well, except me.

She set the champagne and the bucket on the table in front of me and the strawberries beside it. She poured two flutes of champagne and handed one to me.

"Cheers," she murmured, clinking her glass with mine and downing her glass before pouring another.

I hated that she was pulling ahead of me in the drinking for tonight. I was a competitive person in every aspect of life, and this was no exception. But, then again, I wanted to remember this girl and this night for a while. She would probably be the best I ever got.

She grabbed a strawberry and sat down beside me, crossing her left leg over her right.

She bit into the strawberry and poured herself another glass of champagne. I took a sip out of my glass and set it down on the table.

Raina swallowed and then asked, "Do you need to do anything? I have an extra robe if you want to use that."

I blinked. Did that mean she wanted to get me naked?

"Excuse me," I murmured, heading into the bathroom.

I closed the door and splashed some cold water into my face. This was so different from other nights I had spent with women. Usually I was the one in control, but Raina was leading us in this tango. Honestly, I was turned on by the switch in power.

I heard Raina walking around and I decided to leave the bathroom. I didn't want to seem too nervous about the whole situation.

She was standing out on the balcony, just as she did hours ago. It felt more like days ago. She had the ball of her left foot dug into the ground, and she was leaning on the ledge. I stalked over there and stood beside her.

She glanced at me and smiled. I moved closer and kissed the nape of her neck gently. Her head automatically rolled closer to mine and her body relaxed into mine. I moved my lips across her left shoulder, leaving light kisses in their wake.

"Ah, this is what I've been waiting for," she sighed as my lips fluttered over her skin.

I smiled and levelled with her eyes. "We both know that you're comfortable with being naked on the balcony, but I most certainly am not. Would you like to continue this inside?"

She smirked and stood up, putting a hand on her hip. Was I being too cocky perhaps?

She shook her head and walked back into the living area. When she saw that I wasn't following she asked, "Well, are you coming or not, Mister Cullen? You're the one with self-confidence issues, not me. If we had it my way, my clothes would have been off long ago."

I gaped at this ridiculous, beautiful woman. Fate had dealt me a very interesting and wonderful hand by sending me to Italy.

I followed Raina into her bedroom and she closed the silk screen door. I pulled my blazer off and set it on the chair near the bed. Raina was playing with her black pearls before she removed the strand from her neck and put them into a small jewellery box.

"Those are very nice pearls," I complimented as I sat down on her bed.

"They were my mother's," she answered rather stoically.

"Why do you have them now?" I asked, pondering the fact that maybe her mother had passed away.

"She hated them," she admitted, strolling over to me. "My dad gave them to her right before they got divorced."

"I see." I paused. "They look very becoming on you."

She smiled slyly as she straddled my lap. "Enough small talk, Cullen. You already know too much about me."

She crushed her lips to mine and my body immediately responded. Her body grinded onto mine, causing a rather uncomfortable straining against the zipper of my slacks. My hands moved all over hear creamy bare skin, making sure no area was left untouched. Raina's tiny, delicate hands were intertwined in my hair.

I finally gave into Raina's domineering body and fell backwards on the bed. I was rewarded soon after. Raina undid my shirt quickly and ran her hands over my chest and abdomen, groaning into my mouth whenever she felt muscle.

I quickly removed Raina's pretty little dress, discarding it on the bed beside me. I felt her well-defined body slowly, savouring every perfect curve. She was very fit for a flight attendant.

Raina's mouth moved away from me and we both gasped for air. She quickly moved her mouth back to my skin, kissing my neck and shoulder while my fingers undid her complicate, but very sexy, bra from her body. Her mouth was on mine again as we both pulled the bra away from her chest.

Her body crashed against mine, flesh against flesh, and I could hardly handle the rock hard erection I was sporting. Who would have thought the control-freak would be turned on by another control-freak?

Raina's hands nimbly undid my belt and pushed my slacks half way down my thighs before her left hand came back to grab my face and her right hand slowly groped its way up my thigh before grazing my erection with a light touch, setting my nerves on fire.

Raina sat up suddenly, pulling her mouth and body away from me. I was frozen. First of all, I was surprised that she pulled away so quickly. Secondly, I had the most perfect view in the world. Raina's boobs weren't fake, that much was obvious. Her pert nipples had my mind transfixed.

"I'm up here, Mister Cullen," she murmured. I looked away from her perfect tits painfully. "I hope you brought protection."

"Oh." I fumbled around, grabbing a condom from the pocket of my slacks. "Right."

She grabbed the condom away from me and smiled mischievously. "Let me help you with that," she murmured, ripping the foil.

She pulled my boxers down, exposing my erection. She smiled a small smile and rolled the condom over the tip. I groaned, lying back down on the bed. She rolled the condom all the way to the base and quit touching me all together, leaving my body on edge.

"Raina," I groaned, feeling completely helpless, which I didn't like at all.

"Yes?" she answered. I opened my eyes and found her hovering above me, still not touching me.

"Why'd you stop?" I mumbled, looking down her body to see that she had disposed of her panties.

"I had to make myself more comfortable," she whispered, smiling slightly. "Are you ready?"

"Never been so ready in my life," I muttered, pulling her face closer to mine for another blood pumping kiss.

She moved her body over mine and immediately slid my member into her tight, hot core. She moaned into my mouth as she picked a rather fast pace. My hands found their way onto her tiny hips, helping her quench the fire that had developed in the pit of my stomach.

Our mouths pulled away from each other as we both started panting and moaning each other's names.

Raina's insides started tightening and the fire in my stomach became even more ferocious. We both picked up the pace. She came slightly before me, calling my name loud enough for the people around Rome to know what I had done to this wonderful woman. Hearing my name come from her mouth in that tone of voice sent me over the edge, causing me to grunt her name and release the incredible fire that had been burning.

We were both covered in sweat, still panting from the amazing ride.

"That was...amazing," I gasped as Raina lifted her hips off mine and moved up onto my stomach. She laid her head on my chest and I wrapped my arms around her tiny, sweaty body.

We stayed like that for maybe ten minutes before Raina sighed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

I smiled, confused. "Why are you sorry?"

"For this," she murmured before digging her thumbs into the delicate spots on my neck, paralyzing me briefly. Then she pulled me into a headlock and my vision went black.

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**So, this is the only smut in this story for a very long time. If you want smut, check out my one-shots. Anyway, I really liked doing Edward's PoV. It gave me some insight into what he thinks of Bella/Raina. Which, P.S., was so confusing! I had Bella written down where it should have been Raina. Uhh. Sorry for the wait. This is a longer chapter and it took me forever to figure it out. Sorry for any errors. I'm looking for a Beta. Anyone interested?**

**Review!**

**Oh! And, does anyone want a playlist for this story? I have a playlist that I gotta listen to when I'm writing this. So, if anyone's interested, let me know and maybe I'll put it on my profile.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Once again, thanks for the reviews, faves, and subscrips to the story! A shorter chapter, I'm sorry... And, by the way, the playlist is up on my profile!**

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That had been the best sex I ever had, and I had to end it in the worst way possible.

I looked at Edward Cullen's naked and unconscious body and grimaced. What was I going to do now? I absolutely _hated_ the fact that I was attached to Cullen. My life would be a million times easier if I didn't develop emotional and physical ties to Cullen.

But, even as I stood here, hating Cullen and myself, I knew I couldn't kill him. As much as I desperately wanted to, needed to even, I couldn't.

I sighed and walked over to my suitcase, where I had plenty of rope hidden. I quickly tied Cullen's ankles together before tying his wrists together. I didn't bother gagging him, by the time he woke up we'd be on a helicopter anyway.

I finished tying the knot around Cullen's wrists and stepped away. Something was missing... Right. Clothes. I exhaled loudly and began untying the knots. I pulled all of his clothing on, which went a lot slower than I had intended. Whoever thought dressing a child was hard hadn't attempted to dress a grown man. I redid the knots up and nodded in satisfaction.

I continued my routine naked. I wasn't conceited about my body, but I honestly didn't mind being naked.

I pulled out my cell phone and hit Jake's speed dial number, two. I needed that helicopter tonight.

"Hello, Bella," Jacob greeted in a cheery voice. I suppose it would be midday back home.

"Hey, Jake," I replied, closing my eyes and running my fingers through my hair. "Do you think we could get that 'copter and snowmobile tonight? I have a good chance at taking Aro out tonight."

"Uh, sure," Jacob answered slowly. I could hear his fingers clacking on a keyboard. "There. A cab driver should be knocking on your door in about half an hour."

"Thanks, Jake, you're the best," I muttered. This was all so draining now.

"What's the matter, Bella?" Jacob asked, sounding concerned.

"Nothing," I mumbled, looking at the mess I had gotten myself in to. "Everything."

"Why's that?" Jacob pressed, a little more interested now.

"Well, I found Cullen," I explained. "But, I dunno... I just couldn't kill him. So, I seduced him back to my hotel room and sort of knocked him out."

Jacob let out a low whistle. "Wow, Bella. You are a piece of work. Why couldn't you kill Cullen though? If you can kill a nice old bachelor then why can't you kill a cocky, son of a bitch FBI agent?"

"I don't know," I moaned, closing my eyes. "If I knew, I wouldn't be complaining to you about it."

"Well, usually when you go with your hut, you're doing something right, Bella," Jacob assured me. "Something good will come out of this hostage situation, I know it."

I sighed. "Thanks, Jacob. I'll phone you after I finish Aro."

"Okay, bye, Bells," Jacob sighed before hanging up.

I shut my phone after turning it off and chucked it back in my bag.

I grabbed some black stretch pants and a black turtleneck. I pulled on my knee high black boots and I was set. I hadn't looked at myself in the mirror because I knew I was sporting that post-sex tangle. I grabbed an elastic band and pulled my hair back into a ponytail.

I sat down and tried to clear my mind enough to figure out what I had to do next. Should I bring Cullen's stuff with me? No, that would be too much extra baggage, but some of his stuff could be useful to me. Now would be the time to get into his room. I only had about twenty minutes to get organized.

I quickly searched Cullen's pockets for the code, finally pulling the slip of paper out his breast pocket in his shirt.

I checked Cullen's pupils before leaving my room. He'd be out for a few hours yet.

I typed the code into Cullen's door and entered swiftly. I moved around quickly, looking for a laptop or any papers. I discovered his suitcase and rifled through that, finding nothing but his clothing.

Who did Cullen think he was? Super agent? Honestly, even _I_ had electronics with me. Cullen did have a cell phone in his pants pocket.

I decided to bring everything with me and throw it out over the side of the balcony, just in case there was something useful that was hiding from me.

I got back into my room and immediately took Cullen's cell phone, shoving it into my boot. Then, I quickly packed my stuff and set it by the door. Now all I had to do was wait.

I hauled Cullen over onto the couch and sat him down beside me. I picked up the bowl of strawberries and devoured them. I had barely eaten anything during supper tonight.

I set the bowl back down and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I sighed, leaning back into the couch, urging my body to relax. I had been tense for a couple of hours now, and it wasn't a very good feeling.

I looked over at Cullen, who looked very peaceful as he slept. His head had rolled towards my body, his face mere centimetres away from my chest. His mouth was slightly parted, his bronze locks perfectly tousled.

"You're probably wondering who I am," I murmured gently, staring at Cullen's face, feeling completely crazy for talking to an unconscious man. "I'm sure not Raina Williams. I'm actually Isabella Swan, the only rogue R-agent. You might have heard about me, but I kind of doubt it. They probably wouldn't have an international FBI agent after me.

"Yep, I knew who you really were the entire time. I don't think you knew that I was lying, though, which is odd considering I messed up my story almost every time I opened my mouth.

"You did see me on the plane. You were staring at me, in fact. But, it didn't faze me, which is also odd considering that I'm slightly paranoid. I nearly whip out my knife on anyone that looks at me."

I ran my left hand over my tied back hair before I continued. "You throw me off, Cullen. As an ex-R-agent, I'm not supposed to have 'connections' to people. You're making me break all the rules of my existence.

"I'll bet you know what Project R is, though," I continued in a whisper. "Your daddy created me, Cullen. He made me what I am now, and I don't think I can ever forgive him for that.

"You probably don't agree with that, but that's how it is. You have no idea what it's like to be taught a million and one different ways to kill a man with a simple flick of my wrist." My anger started to grow and I felt even crazier as I continued to argue with myself basically. "You don't know what it's like to wake up after a three week surgery and not feel hungry or tired or weak for weeks at a time. You don't know what it's like to have every thought laced with venom and disgust towards anyone non-American."

I felt the burn of the angry tears that I couldn't shed. Another sort of plus to being an R-agent: I didn't have tear ducts anymore. That would be showing too much emotion.

I clenched my teeth as I tried to gain control of my voice. I hadn't ever opened to anyone about being an agent before. Even if Cullen was unconscious, he was still the first to know how I really felt about what had been done to my body.

This was one of those few moments when I felt entirely weak and useless. Probably the only time I had felt weak and useless.

Then there was a knock at my door.

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**There is definitely more action to come, don't you fret. I really like this chapter, just because we finally know how Bella really feels about being a part in Project R, even if she's technically an agent anymore.**

**And, sorry to say, but Bella really hates Carlisle, which is unfortunate. But, that's the way it is, and as of now, it won't be changing. **

**Review! I've been getting about ten reviews per chapter, so maybe we should bump that up a knotch... .**

**Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Holy schnikey, you guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews, faves, and story subscriptions! I got at least ten new subscribers and twenty reviews, which is a huge jump from previous chapters, so thanks again! You guys are awesome! Don't forget to check out the playlist on my profile. Enjoy the chapter.**

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I sighed and moved to the door, snapping it open to find a very sly looking man.

"_Ciao, Bella. Sono Sergio_," he greeted. It was the same man that had drove Cullen and I to the restaurant.

My brow furrowed. "Sergio? Why you? You were working for Cullen."

Sergio shrugged. "I have many jobs. Lucky for you, your boss pay more, I don't tell Cullen a thing. You need know about Cullen?"

I gulped and nodded, letting Sergio into the hotel room.

"Cullen, he very nice man," Sergio stated, looking right at Cullen. "He pay much, but nothing compared to you, Signorina Bella. He have a brother, Emmett Cullen. He like to, uh, how do you say? Curse much. They talk about you in very disrespectful ways, Signorina Bella. I secretly put a microphone in Cullen's pocket so I can hear him while he was with you."

I blushed furiously. Had he heard Cullen and I...? Sergio didn't seem to understand why I was blushing, so I assumed not.

"Cullen's brother say very disrespectful things, but he also very nice man. He talk to me on phone. They both very nice people."

"Just tell me what Cullen is doing in Italy," I snapped. As if I didn't already feel guilty enough. Now I had some short Italian spy/cab driver telling me how nice Cullen actually is.

Sergio cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed. "Sorry, Signorina Bella. He here to protect someone by the name of Aro from you. He always mad when his brother say your name."

I felt my stomach drop. So Cullen _did_ know who I was, and he clearly hated me. I shook my head. _All the better_, I tried to convince myself. _Now I don't need to feel attached to him_.

I already knew that was a lie.

"Is that all?" I demanded, keeping my voice emotionless.

Sergio nodded. "Cullen only here to protect Aro from you, Signorina Bella. But, we must go now. Helicopter will not wait for anyone, Signorina Bella."

I nodded and grabbed Cullen's limp right hand and threw him over my shoulder. He was a lot lighter than some of the men I had carried during Project R training.

Sergio was gaping at me. "Are-are you sure you can carry him, Signorina Bella? I strong enough."

I gave Sergio a small, quick smile. "It's fine, Sergio. I'm strong, too. You just take my luggage; I'll take care of Cullen." The short Italian didn't have a chance in hell at carrying Cullen.

Sergio picked up both of my fairly light bags and led me out into the hallway. He pushed the down button and the elevator door immediately opened. I entered first, leaning Cullen up against the wall for the ride down. Sergio pressed the "M" button, and off we went.

The doors slid open and the lobby was relatively busy, which was very unlucky. I gulped and stepped out into the spotlight. People stared at me as I carried Cullen through the freakishly large lobby.

"_Ubriaco_," Sergio kept explaining to everyone as we walked towards the exit.

Sergio's car was right in front, thank God. I opened the back door and set Cullen inside, doing up his seatbelt. Hey, even FBI agents can die in a car accident.

I hopped in the passenger's seat as Sergio started the car. We rode to the helicopter pad in complete silence, which gave me plenty of time to devise a plan.

Cullen would hopefully remain unconscious throughout the entire helicopter ride. As much as I would love for him to jump out of the helicopter and plummet to his death that would just ruin my entire killing frenzy. It was funny how the death of one person could ruin my entire life, in fact.

Hopefully my people would have an extra snowsuit for Cullen. I would need to strap him to my body somehow. He'd definitely be awake by then, which would definitely be an issue. I had yet to see Cullen's full physical strength, so I was contemplating chaining him to my back. I also had a feeling that Cullen wouldn't be silent on this trip.

According to the research Jacob and I had done, Aro was staying at a burlesque house. Gag me with a God damn spoon. Sure, being a "prostitute" was a whole hell of a lot worse than being a stripper, but I was _not_ in the mood to be dancing mostly naked in front of a bunch of old, horny men.

Then there was the whole issue of getting Aro alone. That was up to luck. Hopefully he liked pale, petite brunettes with brown eyes. Otherwise I'd have to break into his room, and what was the fun in that?

What would I do with Cullen in the meantime? I could chain him up in a closet somewhere near the back of the burlesque house. That way he'd be out of the way for me to accomplish my mission, but close enough for me to check on him whenever I deemed necessary.

Sergio pulled into the helicopter pad. It was ready for take-off by the looks of it.

"_Grazie, Sergio_," I thanked as he put my bags into the storage compartment of the helicopter.

"_Mio piacere, Signorina Bella_," Sergio murmured with a nod of his head.

I buckled Cullen into a seat before hopping into the helicopter myself.

"Well, hello there, Bella Swan," a familiar voice greeted. The pilot turned around and my jaw dropped.

"What the...?" I muttered as I realized Tyler Crowley was my pilot. "Tyler? Why are you flying a helicopter in Italy?"

Tyler shrugged. "I got my helicopter license after high school and decided that I wanted to keep flying. Jake got a hold of me somehow. Didn't say why I was flying you to the Alps tonight though..." He looked at Cullen's unconscious form suspiciously.

I just grinned and shook my head. "Oh, Crowley. That's for me to know and for you to _never_ find out."

Crowley chuckled and turned back to the controls. "Hope you're ready, Bella. I don't take it easy in the mountains."

"Ah, you underestimate me, Crowley," I teased. "I think I can handle it."

He laughed again and started talking to the people at the base. I looked at Cullen as he shifted slightly in his seat, finally resting with his head on my shoulder. I instinctively rolled my eyes, but didn't push him off me. I'd much rather have Cullen unconscious and peaceful rather than conscious and destructive.

The helicopter started hovering above the pad, taking it fairly slow for a lift off.

"See you soon," Tyler crowed into his headset as we took off full speed ahead toward the Italian Alps.

This, unfortunately, was not a silent trip. Tyler talked the entire time. About high school and how little he saw of me in our senior year, about his girl back home in Phoenix, about his boss, whom apparently was a "_very_ nice man", and pretty much everything in between. Tyler literally did not shut up. I would be lying if I said I was happy to see Tyler. Sure, it was a nice (sort of) surprise, but my drivers, whether it be in a care or an aircraft, were useless to me. I preferred silence so I could prepare myself for my forthcoming task.

We finally landed at the base in the mountains around eleven. Aro would surely still be at the burlesque house when I got there.

"Hope to see you again, Bella!" Tyler shouted as I hauled Cullen out of the helicopter.

I gave him a weak smile in return and prayed that I would never see Crowley again.

Two men from the building near the helicopter pad rushed out to greet me. One of the men grabbed Cullen while the other one grabbed my two suitcases. I didn't even have the chance to say I could handle it.

I followed them into the garage-like building. There were all sorts of vehicles in here. Anything from bicycles to hummers to hot air balloons were found in the cramped area. My six hundred Mountain Cat was looking good. I ran my hand over the lime green hood and smiled. I loved to go fast.

There was a bunch of Italian gibberish coming from all around me. Some men were strapping my bags onto the snowmobile, some were grabbing snowsuits, and some were looking at the snowmobile under the hood. It was like having my own pit team.

"_Signorina Bella!_" one of the men called. He was the one holding Cullen. "He come with you? He need suit?"

"_Si, per favoure_," I pleaded with a curt nod.

The man nodded and carried Cullen over to the snowsuit area. Another man brought me my very stylish snowsuit. The ski pants were black, as was the jacket with the hood lined with fur. They handed me a pair of brown goggles and some small and sleek black gloves. I was ready for a blizzard, it seemed like.

The snowmobile was running and Cullen was suited up. We were set to go.

"_Scusi?_" I called to the nearest man. "Chain man to me?"

The man looked confused. I grabbed the chain that was on the seat of the snowmobile. I pointed to Cullen, snapped the links tight, and then pointed to myself. His eyes widened as he began to jabber away to one of his workers.

I straddled the seat of the snowmobile, testing the throttle. It was a fast snowmobile. You could barely touch the throttle without it jerking slightly.

I felt someone lean against my back. I craned my neck to see Cullen's unconscious body tight to me, his face nuzzled into the crook of my neck.

The man that I had spoken to before starting wrapping the chains around my torso, locking Cullen to me. He handed me the key and I put it in my zipper pocket, making sure I didn't lose it. The man patted me on the back and gave me the thumbs up. I was all set to go.

The large garage-style door flipped open and I slowly left the building behind. As soon as my track hit the powder, I was off like a rocket. I only had to go south-west for twenty kilometres, which would take approximately half an hour. I hoped that Cullen wouldn't wake up soon; it would make my life so much easier. Driving a snowmobile with someone chained to your back was bound to be dangerous.

I tore off in the darkness, flicking my brights on. It was a calm, warm might in the Alps. The moon was full and the stars were flittering. All that was missing was the Northern Lights now.

I pushed my thumb against the throttle a little more, making it jump to fifty miles per hour. The wind was whipping against the bare skin on my face and I could practically feel the heat rushing there to form a horrible wind burn.

I looked at Cullen and he was no longer peaceful. His face was contorted into a confused scowl, he'd be awake soon. The son of a bitch couldn't wait for seventeen more kilometres, could he?

I saw another snowmobile light gaining on me. I could assume one of two things: Either it was one of the men from the building I had just left, coming to escort me to Aro's burlesque house, or it was an FBI agent or an agent of some sort trying to take me out.

I chose to believe the second.

I pushed the lever closer to the handle, going up to sixty miles per house. The snowmobile kept pace with me, and then continued to pursue me. It was definitely someone trying to kill me.

I panicked. I didn't have any weapons.

At least I thought I didn't.

My elbow bumped my left pocket, hitting something other than my body. I quickly grabbed the object from my jacket, discovering that it was a handgun. My luck instantly changed. I was pretty good with a gun, especially while I was driving. Hopefully Cullen would keep his trap shut and not try to throw us off the snowmobile.

A shot was fired, but it missed us by a mile. I looked around and saw that our stalker was definitely entering my shooting range. If I didn't have Cullen chained to my God damn back, we'd be golden.

Another shot was fired, just ahead of us. I realized that if the agent did hit his mark, he'd be most likely to kill Cullen and not me. This changed my focus completely. I wouldn't let Cullen die because someone else was trying to kill me.

What the hell happened to me? If I would have been in this predicament with anyone else, and I really mean anyone, even my grandmother, I would have been happy to have the shield. But now I wasn't willing to let a single bullet come close to him. Edward Cullen, of all the people in the world, had captured my rare protectiveness. Damn did I hate fate.

Another shot rang through the calm night air, just in the snow I was kicking up. I looked over my right shoulder and saw that the man was nearly right behind me. I also noticed that a pair of green eyes were staring at me in confusion.

"Fuck," I muttered as I looked ahead again.

I gripped the gun tightly, putting my finger on the trigger. I only wanted to fire one shot. I might need this gun for later.

I turned my head to the right again and pulled my left arm, holding the gun level with my shoulder. I shot the man right in the throat, causing him to fall backwards off the snowmobile. I didn't bother turning around to see who it was. I had bigger and better things to finish.

"Raina?" Cullen mumbled in my ear. "Why am I chained to you?"

"I'll explain later," I replied in a pleading voice. I really didn't need a fight right now.

"No." I could feel Cullen shake his head against my neck. "I need to know now. I just saw you shoot a man right in the middle of his throat. I know you're not a flight attendant. Tell me the truth."

I gritted my teeth and continued driving way too fast. Only nine more kilometres and I could knock him out again...

"Raina!" Cullen shouted, taking me by surprise. "Tell me!"

"The truth will hurt you more than it will me, Cullen," I snapped.

It was silent for about a half kilometre.

"I think I can handle it," he finally decided.

"Are you sure?" I sighed. "You'll probably want to kill me."

Cullen snorted. "I doubt that. I lied to you, too, Raina. I'm not a gondola business owner. I'm an international FBI agent. I've seen a hundred men shot in the throat."

I couldn't help but to laugh a bit. He sounded so smug, like he knew better than me. And the fact that he assumed I was clueless was also mildly amusing.

"I know what you are, Cullen," I started, a smug tone seeping into my voice. "I knew you were an agent before I even laid eyes on you."

"How?" Cullen asked sceptically.

"I'm an agent with Project R," I explained monotonously. "Or I used to be. I know everything about you, Cullen. Everything from your height and weight to your sketchy relationship with Tanya Denali."

"What do you mean 'used to be'?" Cullen asked cautiously. He probably didn't want to believe the obvious.

"I ran away from the agency. I'm Bella Swan, the infamous rogue Project R agent."

Cullen didn't have a smart ass, cocky remark for that. This was probably coming out of left field for him.

"I could have killed you so many times," he finally whispered in a flat voice. "I can't believe you had me fooled, you bitch. I'll get you as soon as we're unchained. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

Thankfully his hatred for me wasn't new to me. I don't know what I'd do if I had only heard this now.

I kept my face a clean slate and replied fiercely, "Cullen, you're the lucky one. I knocked you out, yet I didn't kill you. I had you under my control as soon as you saw me naked on the balcony. If I was you, I'd be holding my tongue and thanking God that I was still alive. You're in a hostage situation with someone who is ultimately stronger than you."

I saw lights in the distance and grim determination entered my body.

"Bitch," Edward muttered when he saw the lights.

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," I replied coolly. "As if you didn't already owe me your life, now I'm going to knock you out so you don't have to watch your precious Uncle Aro be lured straight into my death trap."

"Fuck you," he spat. Then he proceeded to bite my neck until the skin broke.

I sighed. Sweet, sweet pain. Too bad he didn't know that pain only made my adrenaline rush stronger.

He continued biting my neck all over, trying to get a rise out of me. He was like a pathetic fly trying to annoy a horse.

"Cullen, you're only making me stronger by doing that," I warned him softly. "Didn't Daddy teach you anything about Project R agents? Pain gives us that beautiful rush of adrenaline. So, unless you want Uncle Aro's neck snapped, I'd suggest you stop nibbling at my neck."

He gulped while his mouth was still latched to my skin, sucking some of the blood out of my neck. He realized what he had done and spit it back out into my face.

"You leave my father out of this," he growled. "He's done nothing wrong; he just helped the government out. You're lucky you had him operate on you and not some mad scientist."

I snorted. "Carlisle is about as mad as they come, Cullen. He made my body a machine. He turned my mind into a never-ending flow of hatred. You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"I may not know about what he did to your revolting body" – ouch – "but I know who he is as a person. My dad is nothing but good to the core. _You_ don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes as I pulled into the snowmobile parking lot.

"Shut the hell up, Cullen," I snapped as I dug my thumbs into his pressure points again, harder this time though.

I quickly unlocked the chains and dug my thumbs into the sensitive spot again. I grabbed him by the neck until his eyelids closed. I let go and he fell limply against me. I threw him over my shoulder and walked in through the back of the chalet, finding a closet full of empty boxes. I locked the door after tossing Cullen on the ground.

Now all I needed to do was perform for Aro.

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**Okay, here's the Italian dictionary (Sorry, I used a translator on the net. I don't really know Italian):**

**Ciao - Hello**

**Sono - I am**

**Signorina - Miss**

**Ubriaco - drunk**

**Grazie - Thank you**

**Mio piacere - My pleasure**

**Si - yes**

**per favoure - please**

**Scusi? - Excuse me?**

**Okay, anyway, I liked this chapter, sort of. It's just the beginning of a mildly dramatic fanfic. Edward hates Bella's guts. Really hates them. And, P.S., I'm freakin' excited for the next chapter. I get to write a mild strip tease. Damn, do I love writing strip teases. Anything with dancing incorporated into it is my favourite.**

**Personal stuff: I got my toenail removed today, so that was painful and sucky. Thank God I'm getting it done now, though. I'm going to Jamaica from Feburary twenty-first to the twenty-eighth! Don't miss me too much. ;) And, I've been watching too much hockey for my own good. My best friend plays on a team near my hometown, so I go to all of his games. (And it just so happens that I'm texting him right now....) Okay, enough. Sorry. I just felt like ranting. I think I'm overtired.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This came out a lot quicker than usual. I think it's because I was so excited to write a sort-of-kind-of strip tease. Anyway, once again, thanks for the reviews, story subscriptions, and favourites on my story. I really appreciate it! This is Edward's PoV, P.S.**

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"Fuck," I mumbled as I tried to open my eyes.

The room was a little foggy due to the lack of oxygen. Oh, that bitch Bella Swan was lucky she got me unconscious before I figured things out.

I laid on the hard ground for a few more moments. Things started to come into focus and I realized I was in a room full of empty boxes. I sat up and found that my hands and feet were chained up.

I heard clapping coming from my right. I rolled over to the wall and nudged the boxes out of the way, finding a slot that was cut out of the wall.

I peered through and found myself looking out into a theatre of sorts. I recognized Aro in the front row and a few co-workers surrounding him. They all looked delighted for some reason.

Music started playing and someone stepped out onto the stage. I knew it was Bella Swan just from the shape of her body. Her wardrobe was entirely different from when I had seen her last. She was now clad in a deep blue corset that accentuated her creamy skin and bust. Her bottoms looked like boy shorts from the front, but pulled into a black thong at the back. Her legs were covered with fishnet tights and she was balancing on four inch heels.

Speaking from a man's point of view, she looked stunning, good enough to take home after the night was over. Speaking from my own perspective, she looked like a weak woman trying to play the strong spy assassin. There was no way in hell she could take out Aro and his guard by herself.

The music started pumping faster and she moved forwards, swaying her hips more than I had seen before. I finally saw her face, finding her confidence overwhelming. If I didn't already know who she was, I'd assume that she really was a stripper.

She had a top hat on her wavy brown hair and her make-up was very dark. Her eyes were covered in black and her lips were painted a deep red. A boa was wrapped around her shoulders and arms.

Her pouty red lips were pulled into that tantalizing smirk that no man had the will power to resist.

She moved towards the ballet bar near the front of the stage and swung her left leg over top it before dipping down to peer at her audience upside down. Then she extended her left leg, showing off her flexibility and crouched beneath the ballet bar. She swayed her hips slightly, still smirking cockily.

She fell into the splits and ran her hands slowly down her chest and stomach, making the men in the audience shift in their seats, moving towards her.

She grabbed the ballet bar and pulled herself forward and rolled back up onto her feet. She pulled her boa off her shoulders and snapped it quickly, smiling seductively at Aro, who was grinning like a child at Christmas.

She slowly slid down into a crouch, her knees together, holding onto the ballet bar while facing her audience. She snapped her legs open and shut so quickly I wasn't sure if she even did it.

She stood up, finally turning around to expose her perfect ass to everyone else while she walked to the back of the stage, swaying her hips as if she were a real dancer, not a stripper.

She turned to face her audience again and the spotlight flipped on her while she walked back towards the front of the stage where there was a stripper's pole.

She slid down the pole, extending her arm to hold onto the pole above her head. She stood up and commanded each set of eyes to look at her simply by smirking. She had them all under her spell. Maybe that's how she had gotten so far into her killing spree. She seduced everyone.

She hopped up onto the pole, wrapping her legs around it delicately while she spun around it. She stopped when she had turned enough to face the men and gave them the sexiest smile I'd ever witnessed. I'm surprised the guys didn't leap at her from their seats.

She untangled herself from the pole, snapping her boa at Aro again, giving him a wink. She stood in the middle of the stage and swayed to the ground, moving her arms sensually above her head.

She fell onto her knees and crawled to the front of the stage. When she got there she sat back on her knees and ran her fingers through her hair, arching her back slightly as she swayed there.

She sat down on her butt and let her legs dangle over the edge of the stage, crossing her left over her right. She slowly moved her left leg up towards one of the FBI agents, closing his open mouth with the toe of her high heel.

She hopped down onto the floor, and swayed down to the ground. I could only see her hands as she worked her magic on my co-workers. I saw her ankle and foot pop up, and the guys were open-mouthed again. I rolled my eyes, but I knew I'd be doing the same thing if I was in their place.

Bella's head popped back up, but she was facing me this time. She slowly crawled back on the stage, really giving the guys a show. One of them reached out to tap her on the ass, but his hand got slapped away by Aro.

"Shit," I muttered. I recognized that look in Aro's eyes. He wanted Bella and he wanted her bad. He was done for.

She was still facing me as she rolled up slowly. Then she walked to the back of the stage slowly, swaying her tiny hips to the beat again.

The spotlight flipped on her again as she had her back to the audience. She raised her left arm above her head before running it down through her hair onto the side, all the way down to her thigh.

She turned around and started stomping her way to the ballet bar again. She grabbed it with her left hand and slipped underneath, opening her legs widely. She threw her boa out into her audience and went into the splits again.

She spun around so that her back was facing the guys again and used the ballet bar to roll up slowly. She raised both of her arms in a v above her head and popped her hops. She brought her left hand down to her cleavage and pulled out the handgun she had while we were on the snowmobile.

I quickly counted the men. There was Aro and five other men. There's no way she could handle a six on one. Could she?

She turned around, holding her gun behind her back. She swayed into an open-legged crouch, which dazed all of the men.

She whipped out the gun without anyone comprehending what she was about to do. She took out two of them before anyone even noticed that Bella was holding a gun.

The other three FBI agents quickly pulled out their guns and started shooting aimlessly. I should have taken cover, but I couldn't pull my eyes from a fight like this.

Bella quickly shot another man in the chest, causing him to fall down. I guess I underestimated her...

Shots were flying through the air, and Aro was still staring at Bella, desire still clear in his eyes. I sighed. He never gave up on things he wanted, even if they murdered him.

Another guy was shot in the eye, which looked incredibly painful. The man just stood there, holding his eyes, while blood poured out. He finally fell when Bella shot him again in the chest.

Now it was only two on one, and that worried me. Aro wouldn't do fuck all until he was the last one standing, and if things got that bad, he'd be killed, too. The old man couldn't fight, not even to save his life.

Bella tried to shoot the last FBI agent, but all her gun did was click. She was out of bullets. I let out a sigh of relief.

I heard Bella mutter "shit". She was staring at her gun like she expected it to load itself. A shot barely missed her and she snapped back to reality.

She pulled a knife out of her cleavage. How the hell could she have a gun _and_ a knife in her cleavage? Who did she think she was? Super agent?

She sprinted to the end of the stage and jumped at the agent. He flinched away rather than firing at her. Fuck, why could a _smart_ guy be in his position? She dug her heels into his hips and stabbed him in the back before pulling the knife out and stabbing him under the rib cage. Blood poured out onto her legs and hands and dripped onto the floor. She ripped the knife out and then got off the guy, letting him fall to the ground.

The room was silent except for Bella's panting and the sound of blood dripping from her body and knife. Aro was looking at her curiously, desire still clear in his face.

Bella walked slowly towards Aro, her hand still fisted around the blood-drenched knife.

"Aro Basso," she murmured, still sounding a bit seductive. "I hope you didn't mind me getting rid of your guards. I needed to talk to you alone."

Aro gulped, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "What would you like to talk about, my dear?"

"Project R," Bella automatically answered, her voice cool.

Aro's face didn't change, which surprised me. He wasn't fazed by this? Did he already know who Bella was?

"Ah, yes," Aro replied. "I knew I recognized you when you walked on my stage. It's hard to forget my favourite agent, even if you did leave us after only five weeks."

"What did you do to me?" Bella demanded, her fist clenching tighter around the knife.

"I trained you, commanded you," Aro answered, still scarily calm. "I was in charge of your training, Redbird." Who the hell was Redbird? "Mister McCarthy assigned me to you specifically because we were both the best."

"Anything else?" Bella whispered, her face and voice still flat and emotionless.

"I decided what happened to your body," Aro answered bluntly. "I decided which features to enhance and which features to tone down. I was the assistant director, under Mister McCarthy, when the Project was still starting out. Now I only check in every once in a while."

Bella shook her head and smiled. "Did you think that would save you? I'm still going to kill you, Aro."

Aro's face remained the same. He was still amused. "I know." He sighed. "My life was good. Can I tell you something, though?"

Bella gave him a curt nod.

"You'll never find your happiness like this, Redbird," he continued solemnly. "I hate to say this, but violence doesn't solve anything."

"Well, lucky for me I'm not looking for happiness," she replied coolly.

I looked away as she brought the knife to Aro's neck. His body hit the ground and I heard the knife plunge into his body again, putting him out of his misery.

I crawled back to the middle of the room, millions of thoughts and questions running through my mind.

I heard Bella's heels clicking against the ground and blood still dripping from her body, and then a door slam. We'd be leaving soon, thank God.

I laid on the ground for another good twenty minutes before the door opened. Bella was back in her snowsuit, looking like nothing had happened, which made me hate her even more.

"Ready?" she asked enthusiastically.

I glared at her, praying that she would drop dead on the spot.

She picked me up and threw me over her shoulder.

"Back to America," she murmured, carrying me out into the falling snow.

* * *

**Wooo. Hot, kind of. Action-packed, kind of. It was a well-rounded chapter for me. A little bit of both. **

**About the chapter: In case you forgot, Edward considered Aro an uncle, so that's why he looked away when Bella killed him. **

**Bella was nonchalant while she was talking to Aro because she was upset. She was either going to burst into tearless sobs because she finally has clarification that people altered her body and mind, or she was going to go into a fit of rage and blow up the mountain side. So, she calmed herself down, in a way.**

**And, also, Bella doesn't know that Edward was watching, which is why this was kind of interesting to write through Edward's PoV.**

**Remember to check out the playlist on my profile!**

**Okay, time for some wagering: If we make it to a hundred reviews, I'll get the chapter out this week. So, do it up people!**


	10. Chapter 10

**You guys did it! We made it to 104 reviews! Woohoo! So, once again, thanks for the reviews, favourites, and story subscriptions to this story. It's fan base is really starting to grow, which makes me so happy. To be honest, I didn't know what I was going to do with this chapter, but I let 'er rip just because you guys keep supporting this! So thanks! Enjoy!**

* * *

I paralyzed Edward while I chained myself to him again. What was I going to do with this guy in the States? I guess I could drop him off in Phoenix with Jacob, but would Jacob be strong enough to handle Cullen? Sure, Jake had a good six inches on Cullen, but Cullen was strong, probably stronger than Jacob.

I sat us down on the snowmobile and pulled out my cell phone to call Jacob. I'd need two plane tickets to Phoenix and for him to pick us up at the airport.

I keyed in his number and pressed "talk".

"Hello?" Jacob answered. "Bella?"

"Yeah, it's me," I sighed. "I killed Aro and five other FBI agents."

Edward hissed while Jake answered. "That was quick. So you need a plane ticket and me to pick you up then?"

I smiled. "You read my mind. "What's the closest airport?"

"Uh, just give me a sec here," Jacob murmured, his fingers clacking against his keyboard. "It says that Aro has a private airport about three miles south from there. I'll phone the base and tell them you're coming. What would you like your title to be?"

"Niece and nephew would make the most sense, I think," I decided. "Cullen called Aro his uncle, so might as well be telling a half-truth."

"Okay, sounds good," Jacob replied, a smile clear in his voice. "See you soon, Bella. Try to make it home alive, I haven't seen you since you moved on to killing the scientists last year."

"I'll try," I muttered, starting the engine of the snowmobile. "Bye, Jake."

I hung up my phone and took off for the airport.

Cullen was silent and still the whole way. It worried me a bit. I automatically assumed he was plotting a way to kill us both. I thought about how easily I could kill Cullen right now. He was tired, weaker than me, and chained up. I could kill him in two seconds without so much as a single thought going through my head. It was the thoughts after I killed him that would bother me.

I couldn't tell exactly how or why I'd feel guilty, but I had feeling that I would. Cullen didn't have any reason to stay alive. Aro and Roscoe had more reason to live, from my perspective. Roscoe and Aro were old, gently, and seemed kind. Cullen was young, rough, cocky, and was a definite threat to me.

So why didn't I have the guts to kill him?

I was contemplating this as I pulled into the airport. I shut off the snowmobile and paralyzed Cullen to unchain us and get him on the plane. I tucked the chains into the pocket of my jacket.

A man rushed out to meet me.

"You're Mr. Basso's niece?" he asked, no accent in his voice.

"Yes," I answered, smiling at him. "The drunken man on the snowmobile is his nephew. Could you carry him while I take the bags, please?"

"Of course." The man ran over to Cullen and threw him over his shoulder. He'd be limp well after we got onto the plane.

I let the man lead me directly onto the plane. He sat Cullen down before taking my bags out of my hands.

"Thank you," I murmured, smiling gently at my helper.

"My pleasure," he replied with a smile before leaving the plane.

I buckled Cullen into his seat before buckling myself in. This was going to be an interesting ride home. I hoped he'd just ignore me rather than try to escape.

"Prepare for lift off," the intercom announced. That was quick. Jacob must have wired over a small fortune.

The plane took off. It was a good ten minutes before Edward groaned, twisting in his seat. I knew we wouldn't be disturbed, so I quickly chained his hands behind his back and his feet together.

"Stop _doing_ that," Cullen mumbled as his eyelids fluttered open.

So he was going to talk to me? This was something unexpected.

"Sorry," I quickly apologized under my breath. "If I could trust you enough to keep your mouth shut and for you not to run away, we wouldn't need to do this."

"Why don't you just kill me like all those other FBI agents?" Cullen questioned, his green eyes piercing into my soul like daggers.

"You could be useful to me," I lied smoothly. "I could eventually get information out of you about James or your father."

Cullen snorted. "Good luck with that."

"I got you here, didn't I?" I snapped quietly. He _still_ underestimated me. "I'll bet you never expected to be taken hostage by your biggest threat, who just happens to be a girl."

Cullen shook his head, an angry expression etched into his skin. "I still can't believe I fell for your bullshit. But now I know who you are. I won't tell you _anything_."

"Who says you have to tell me?" I asked nonchalantly. "Maybe I'll let you go and be seduced by an ally of mine. You almost spilt your secrets to me on the snowmobile. You could do the exact same with another girl you take out for a nice dinner."

"Who's to say I'll ever go out on a date with a random woman ever again?" Cullen snapped back. "This experience ruined one-night stands for me."

I shrugged. _Who's to say I care..._

"I have a few questions for you," Cullen stated. "I would ask if that was okay, but frankly, I could care less what you think. Just answer them."

I smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you seriously trying to command me? You're in no position to demand _anything_, Cullen."

"Why do you call me 'Cullen'?" he asked, ignoring my reasoning.

"I don't have any respect for you," I answered bluntly. "I only call people by their first name when I respect them."

"You respect Aro?" he asked, slightly surprised.

I nodded slowly. "If he can change a body like he changed mine, it makes a person be grateful. I wouldn't have the strength of body or mind to do much of the things I do now if it weren't for him."

"Is Aro the only one you respect from Project R?" Cullen pushed, more interested now.

"No." I paused. "I respect nearly all the creators of Project R. Carlisle, Aro, and James are all respected by me. Tompkins wasn't, and it's not because she's a woman. She whored herself out too much to maintain my respect."

Cullen smiled a taunting smirk. "And you don't? You had sex with me, I saw you strip for Aro and his guards."

My eyes widened. He saw that? How? He was locked in a room.

Cullen rolled his eyes. "There was a hole in the wall. I didn't escape."

"Actually, I don't whore myself out," I replied smoothly with an icy tone defining my voice. "You're really the only person I've had sex with in four years. Sure, I strip to get closer to my targets, but that just shows how sad a man's perspective is. I haven't had the chance to pretend to be the pretty girl at the diner because no one in this joke of a government has time to make conversation with a normal person anymore. They need something quick and strictly physical, and it just so happens to be what I provided for them."

"Don't start on the feminist rants, _please_," Cullen groaned, closing his eyes. "I'll even change the subject for you. Who's Redbird?"

I blinked. He really was clueless about Project R.

"I'm Redbird. That's my old codename from Project R. They gave everyone a codename starting with the letter 'r'," I explained. "Carlisle really didn't say anything to you about this, did he?"

Cullen shook his head. "I didn't even know Project R existed until I got hired by the FBI. I couldn't believe Dad his something that big from Emmett and I. Even after I found out, Dad wouldn't talk about it. I only know that Project R exists and that my dad and Aro were a part of it."

I exhaled, becoming impatient. Cullen didn't know fuck all about me, but he still made assumptions. That pissed me off.

"Oh, and I knew you were the only girl," Cullen continued as an afterthought. "Why is that, anyway?"

"Apparently I was the only one strong enough." I shook my head angrily. "I was _inferior_, yet I escaped that hell. The so-called weakest link of Project R is the only one that made it out alive." I sighed. "James, the director of Project R, is my ex. I dated him during my senior year of high school. For a while, he really did like me, but then he realized my potential. Project R had been established before James and I started dating. Soon after I graduated he took me in for surgery. And, viola, here I am."

"So James hand-picked you?" Cullen asked slowly. "Even though you were a woman? And his girlfriend?"

"I wasn't your average girl." I smiled wryly. "I fought my way to the top. I beat the shit out of the top fighter in Phoenix at the time. They kicked me out of street fighting because of it."

Cullen nodded and relaxed into his chair a bit.

"Do I get to ask questions about your profession now?" I asked with a smirk.

"You consider this your profession?" Cullen questioned with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged. "Self-employment."

Cullen scowled at me and I sighed.

"I guess you can ask some questions. I have nothing else to do," Cullen finally decided.

"Did you really believe my story?" Might as well start from the beginning.

Cullen nodded, his face contorted into a stony glare.

I laughed a bit. "I messed up so many times, nearly every time I opened my mouth."

"I messed up, too," Cullen muttered.

I smirked. "Yeah, I caught that. How did you become an FBI agent?"

"I was in the military for a year when they '_realized my potential_'," Cullen quoted in a mocking tone."Then I never looked back. Worked my way to the top as quickly as I could."

I nodded. "You dated Tanya while you worked for the FBI?"

Cullen got a dark and distant look in his eyes. "How do you know about that?"

"I have my connections," I murmured impatiently. Somehow the conversation always came back to me.

"Like Jake?" Cullen pressed.

I sighed. He wasn't going to give up. "Yes, and no, I will not talk about him. I'm not stupid."

Cullen pursed his lips, clearly disappointed in his failed attempt to get information out of me. "Fine, then. Tell me about Project R some more."

"What do you want to know about?" I asked, bored already. I'd talked and thought about Project R for too long.

"What exactly did Aro do to your body?"

"A lot," I muttered, not wanting to give away my physical and mental advancements.

"Can you give me at least _some_ idea?" Cullen asked impatiently.

"Which part, body or mind?" I murmured flatly.

"They messed with your brain, too?" he asked in shock. "Wow, I would have never guessed that."

I nodded grimly. "I don't need to sleep or eat like a normal person. I sleep once a week, approximately, eat whenever my stomach causes me pain. I remain stoic most of the time; most of the emotions you see are fake. I still have the mindset of a Project R agent, so I hate non-Americans. I'm so paranoid I can't walk down the street without assuming someone's going to follow me." I let out a shaky breath. Now I was starting to get mad.

"I can't even imagine..." Cullen shook his head, obviously trying not to pity me. "What did they do to you physically?"

"Basically enhanced everything. Stronger, faster...all that good stuff," I explained. "The physical stuff doesn't bother me. I'm glad that I'm stronger, and who needs tear ducts?"

"No tear ducts?" Cullen asked in disbelief, raising an eyebrow.

"No," I answered with a smile. "That would be showing too much emotion. I'm surprised they didn't remove the muscles you use to smile. We need to be approachable though. We're all about the deception."

"I know," Cullen murmured coolly.

It was uncomfortably silent after that. Cullen officially knew more about me than anyone else in the world, and that scared me. What if he got away and spilled everything to the FBI?

I sighed. I'd just have to deal. Right now I had to focus on the tasks ahead.

Cullen finally nodded off against my shoulder. Now that I thought about it, I was pretty damn tired, too...

* * *

**A lot of stuff got explained in this chapter, mostly about Bella. I kept trying to explain some stuff about Edward, but it wrecked the flow of the chapter, and somehow he always got the conversation back on Bella... Crazy characters controlling the story...**

**Anyway, I don't really have a song for this, so if anyone has any ideas of what music could go along with this chapter, let me know! I'll post the ideas. Make sure you have a legit reason why it ties into the chapter!**

**Keep reviewing! The more you review, the more I want to post!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Once again, thanks to all the reviews (we got to 121 this time!), favourites, story subscriptions (I have 85!?), and author alerts. I appreciate it all! **

**Also, something weird, this story has been added to a C2, and I just found that out last night! Wow! I'm honoured!**

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I hadn't dreamt in years. I'd always assumed that they altered that in my body too, but I guess I was wrong. I was dreaming for the first time in four years.

"_God, I didn't remember Phoenix being this hot," I groaned as I walked down the street._

_Edward was walking beside me. He smiled. "You always come up with an excuse to avoid introducing me to your mother and stepfather."_

_I rolled my eyes. "Did you ever think that there might be a reason why I don't visit my mom?" I sighed. "Can we just pop in and say hi, Edward? Please?"_

_Edward grinned as he intertwined our fingers. "That's very tempting, but no, love, we have to be civil with your mother. She misses you more than you'll ever know."_

_I scoffed. "I'm sure she did. She kicks me out of her house, yet she still wants me around."_

"_Everyone makes mistakes," Edward reminded me._

_I smiled at him and squeezed his hand in mine. "Like the huge mistake you made when you fell in love with me?"_

"_Something like that," Edward teased. "Look at the horrible mess I'm in now. I have the most beautiful wife in the whole world, a good paying job, and a beautiful home in Washington. I mean, who would want a life like that?"_

_I mocked disgust. "Not me. I don't know why I ever married you; did you know that, Mister Cullen?"_

_Edward moved his face closer to mine. "I don't know why I ever asked you to marry me in the first place, Missus Cullen."_

_Our lips touched briefly and my body still responded enthusiastically. I let go of Edward's hand only to grab him by the neck, pulling him closer._

_Edward pulled away with a chuckle. "Hun, we're on a sidewalk."_

"_I know," I mumbled, my cheeks now a deep red._

_Edward ran the back of his hand over my flaming cheek. "I love it when you blush."_

_His voice sent shivers down my spine._

The scene changed, now we were in an unfamiliar living room. My stomach was expanded greatly. I must have been extremely pregnant. Cullen was sitting beside me, slowly rubbing his hand over my enlarged stomach. There were three kids, two boys and a girl, running around in front of us. I couldn't help but to feel happy.

_I sighed. Three was enough, wasn't it? I looked down at my pregnant belly, a small smile playing on my lips._

_Sure, three was enough, but who said four was too much?_

"_Okay, kids," Edward finally sighed. "Time for bed. Mama and I are too tired to stay up with you monkeys anymore."_

_All three of their angelic faces slipped into an adorable pout._

"_Pwease, Mama," my little girl pleaded. "Just one mo game a tag? I amost beat Em dis time."_

_I giggled. "Okay, sweetie pie, one more game. Then straight to bed, promise?"_

_All three heads nodded solemnly. "Pwomise."_

_I smiled broadly and Edward shook his head with a chuckle._

"_You spoil our kids," Edward stated, still smiling. "How will they survive when they leave for college?"_

_I snorted. "Edward, we've got thirteen years to figure that out. How did you manage without Esme to do your laundry and make your lunches?"_

"_Easy," Edward retorted smugly. "I got Jessica to do them."_

_I rolled my eyes. "You're horrible, using your girlfriend for laundry and food."_

_Edward's face pulled into an evil smile. "Oh, I used her for _much_ more than that."_

_I punched Edward's arm, and he jumped away, not expecting a hit._

"_Okay, kids, game time's over," Edward commanded huskily. My eyes grew wide at the sudden sexy tone in his voice._

"_Fine," Emmett grumbled, dragging his feet up the stairs, followed by Jacob and Esme._

_As soon as Esme shut the door to her room, Edward's lips were attacking mine, which I accepted gratefully. Being pregnant, moody, and horny all the same time was no way to leave a woman._

The scene changed again. This time we were in a church, somewhere I had never really gone before. My body was wrinkly, my hair was white, and I was dressed in black. Obviously someone had passed away. Then, suddenly, the pain hit me.

_Excruciating, obliterating, surprising, and embarrassing amounts of pain coursed through my veins. I'd never felt so weak or vulnerable in my life. Edward had been my strength, my protection. And now he was gone._

_The funeral went by in a second. I didn't remember anything. Next thing I knew, I was at the cemetery, all alone._

"_Edward," I sobbed, tears sliding down my paper thin cheeks. "How could you leave me? Why did you leave me behind?" My frail voice broke and I fell to my knees on his freshly covered grave._

_Tears continued streaming down my face as I laid down on top of the dirt, pressing my cheek to the place I believed his head would rest. It was as close to Edward as I could be right now._

"_Mom, we have to go," Jacob whispered, grabbing me by the waist._

_I dug my hands into the soft ground._

"_No," I growled._

"_Mama, please," Esme pleaded, tears rolling down her face. "We all miss Daddy, too."_

"_Don't touch me," I grumbled._

"_Mom," Emmett cooed softly. "Please, Mom. For us."_

"_No!" I screamed._

I sat up, breathing heavily, my eyes darting around the room, searching for my children.

"It was just a dream," I whispered, trying to calm down.

"What the hell?" Cullen grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry," I gasped. "I had a dream, a very realistic dream." A dream I wouldn't mind revisiting, for the most part.

"Lucky you," Cullen muttered. "I'd love to have a dream. Anything would be better than this."

I chuckled, even though that comment stung a bit. "Oh, Cullen, don't lie. You know there are worse things that could happen than being stuck on a place with me."

Cullen stared stonily at the floor.

"Maybe not," I mumbled, looking out the window.

It was daylight now, and we were looking over a golden desert. We were close to Phoenix, finally. There really was no place like home.

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**A filler chapter, of sorts. Nothing too exciting happened, but we see what Bella subconsciously wonders what her life would be like with Mister Cullen.**

**Review! Oh, and Happy belated Valentine's Day! I personally think it's ridiculous, but I heart you all anyway!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey all my SR fans! Thanks, for the millionth time, for the faves, reviews, and subscrips to this story. I really appreciate, and I'm forever in your debt. Hehe.**

**Onward with Spyward! Oh, and Bella, too, I guess, haha.**

* * *

"Sorry in advance," I murmured, moving my hand to the same spot on Cullen's body.

Cullen just rolled his eyes. I pressed down as hard as I would let myself and he immediately passed out. Hopefully he'd be out until after he was chained up again.

I sat in the chair until the pilot's came to me. I didn't want to blow my cover.

I smiled apologetically at them. "Sorry, he must have been drunker than I realized. Care to help me again?"

"Sure thing, Miss," one of them answered, pulling Cullen off the seat and onto his shoulder.

He got out of the plane first, followed by the other pilot and me.

"Are you two going back to the Alps?" I asked.

The other pilot nodded. "We bring all the customer's to Volterra."

I smiled sweetly and the man. "Take good care of my uncle for me, okay?" That should keep my name off the suspects list.

He smiled back. "Sure thing, Miss."

Jacob was leaning against that rusty old Chev that I loved. His arms were crossed and he was smirking at me. This was amusing to him.

"You can just set my brother in that truck," I commanded, pointing to Jacob's truck. "Thank you both so much." I smiled before walking to Jacob.

They set Cullen in the passenger's seat and went back into the plane. When I was sure they weren't looking anymore, I quickly chained Cullen's ankles and wrists.

I closed the passenger's door and Jacob was standing beside me. I smiled and received a bear hug from my only friend.

"It's good to see you, Jacob," I murmured against his chest.

"You too, Bella," he replied, giving me one more squeeze. "You're a lot thinner than last year. You're losing muscle, girl."

I punched him playfully in the arm. "Shut up, Jake. I'm just as strong, if not stronger, than I was last year."

"Sure, sure," Jacob answered, waving his hand dismissively. "Let's get you back to my place before anyone recognizes pretty boy there."

I laughed quietly as I hopped into the cab of Jake's truck. I let Cullen lean against me as Jacob drove to his tiny house near the centre of Phoenix.

Surprisingly Cullen remained unconscious for the entire truck ride, giving Jacob and I plenty of time to talk. I needed to decide who my next target was going to be soon.

Jacob flopped Cullen on his couch after I shut the door.

"That guy is going to be out for a while, Bella," Jacob observed. "What did you do? Shoot him some morphine?"

"Ha ha," I scoffed. "I used the pressure point at the base of his neck. He passes right out."

Jacob nodded before plopping down in front of his computer.

"So, we need to pick your next target before he wakes up," Jacob murmured. "Which one do you want to get over with first? The physically draining psycho or the emotionally draining doctor?"

"I don't know," I groaned, putting my face in my hands.

"Personally, I think you should kill Cullen last," Jacob answered. "Then, if you decided you don't want to kill anyone anymore, the better man will still be alive."

I considered this. Maybe I would be content with just killing James. Then at least I could spare a life.

But, if I killed Cullen first, I'd probably be numb enough to kill James quickly. Then again, the numb feeling could be an enemy, too.

"James it is," I decided. "Find out everything for me, Jacob. I want to get this over with quickly."

Jacob smiled at me reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, Bella. There's only two left. Maybe even one."

I smiled weakly back. My stomach was in knots. James was the one kill that made me nervous. He was so strong and domineering. I didn't know what the outcome of this fight would be.

I guess it didn't matter how things turned out. I would rather die trying to reach my goal than giving up to live a long and boring life.

"Shit," Jacob muttered. "I have to go grab my charger from Leah's."

"Who's Leah?" I asked.

Jacob grinned sheepishly. "The girl I'm seeing right now."

"Jacob Black!" I gasped. "You? With a girlfriend? Are you serious?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "No, I'm lying."

I grinned. "Good for you, Jake. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." He smiled and closed the door behind him.

I sat down on the chair across from Cullen. My mind was swirling. My brain kept remembering James in a million different scary situations. Like when he beat the shit out of Mike Newton when he found out what he did to me, when he took me to Project R headquarters, when he tortured me during training... It was all bad news for me. He'd had controls over me since I met him. There was no doubt in my mind that he could still exercise that control.

Cullen groaned and moved around on the couch.

"God dammit, Bella," he grumbled.

"Sorry," I murmured, smiling.

"I wish I could beat the shit out of you." Jesus, he was blunt. "I'd teach you a lesson or two."

That cocky son of a bitch.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, pussy," I challenged, standing up. "I'm serious. I'll unchain you if you promise only to fight me and not try to run away."

Cullen sat up, surprise clear on his face.

"Seriously?"

"Yes," I answered. "I'm damn sick of you complaining like a girl and talking about how much stronger you are than me. Prove it, you cocky little shit."

Cullen's eyes narrowed. "It's a deal, bitch. I'll shut up if you win, but if I win, you have to swear you won't go after my dad."

I walked over to him and shook his chained hand. "Let's take this outside."

I picked Cullen up and threw him over my shoulder, walking out into Jacob's backyard.

"Hey, you have to unchain me!" Cullen exclaimed.

"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered.

I dumped Cullen onto the grass and undid his chains. I tossed them to the side and got into a common defensive position.

Cullen rubbed his wrists and stood up slowly, giving me a mean glare. He raised his fists and moved towards me slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. Except instead of finding prey, he was finding a stronger predator.

"Bring it on, pretty boy," I taunted, shifting my weight forward.

Cullen lunged at me. I easily darted out of the way. Irritated men were always so easy to read in a fight. They were too eager, making their movements less decisive. All I had to do was keep taunting Cullen and I'd win this fight.

"That all you got?" I smirked. "Looks like it'll be a–"

Cullen took me by surprise by tackling me mid-sentence. He straddled me and pinned my wrists to the ground.

"Cocky women are so easy to read in a fight," he murmured in my face. "They do more talking than they should, leaving them vulnerable."

I shifted underneath his weight, trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Funny, I thought that I had the upper hand," I muttered sarcastically. "Eager men are easy to read, too. All I have to do is taunt you and you come full throttle."

I shifted again and Cullen gripped my wrists harder. Thankfully I had slipped my waist out from underneath Cullen. I kicked my legs up, locking my ankles around his neck, throwing him to the ground.

I quickly got back on my feet, more prepared for an attack.

"Don't they teach you anything in the FBI?" I asked as Cullen got back to his feet.

Cullen shook his head and rubbed his neck before getting back onto his feet.

I assessed my surroundings as Cullen tried to rub away the pain. Jacob didn't have much in his backyard. There was a bench in the far right-hand corner, a big swing in the far left-hand corner, and a small garden near the house.

Cullen finally got back into his fighting stance. We began circling each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

When my back was pointed towards the swing, I quickly turned and sprinted to the corner. I turned around after I got past the swing and jumped, grabbing onto the top bar. I started swinging back and forth as Cullen tried to approach me from an angle that I couldn't swing to.

But he made a mistake. He tried to run in front of the swing. I quickly let go of the bar and leapt at him. He just made it by me. I landed in a crouch.

Cullen stopped and turned to face me. I did a roundhouse kick and connected with his jaw. He staggered a couple of steps before falling onto the grass. He wiped his face and got back up, punching me in the hip. It probably hurt him more than me. I backhanded him across his left cheekbone. We were both breathing heavily now.

Cullen pulled back his arm. I closed my eyes, waiting for his fist to connect with my cheek.

But nothing happened.

I opened my eyes again and saw Cullen with his hands on his knees. He looked up at me and shook his head.

"Fight back!" I screeched. No one had ever given up on me before. "Don't just let me win."

He shook his head again.

I pushed him lightly, trying to provoke him.

"Come on!" I jibed. "Don't be fooled because I'm a woman."

Cullen gave me a tired look.

I roared in irritation, grabbing him by the shoulders, pulling his body up, and kneed him in the gut. He let out a pathetic "Oh" and then doubled over, holding his stomach.

Waves of rage crashed over my body. Cullen stood up straight again, looking at me grimly. I slapped him as hard as I could. There were already bruises forming on his cheek and jaw. He just remained calm, holding his ground.

I wound up to slap him again, but this time he caught my hand. I broke down, tearless sobs heaving from my chest.

"Fight back," I pleaded pathetically.

Cullen shook his head again. He pulled me closer and crushed his lips to mine.

* * *

**This is probably my favourite chapter, no lie. That little part at the end (where Edward grabs Bella's hand as she's about to slap him, and then kisses her) has been playing in my mind since I started this silly fanfic. So it felt good to get it out. **

**WHATDA THINK!? Where do you think this'll go? Hehe, it might not be what you expect...**

**Anyway, the playlist for this fanfic is now on my dA page (www(dot)ladyinblue6(dot)deviantart(dot)com/journal/21890540/. It'll be on there now, if anyone's still interested in the music.**

**I've got kind of a schedule going for my three fanfics now. I'll write a Suave Secrets chapter, then a The Dirty and the Delicate chapter, and then a Seducing Revenge chapter. I need to give equal attention to all of my fanfics, although I'd prefer to just work on this one, haha.**

**Review, please and thank you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the reviews, faves, and subscriptions to this story! It's always appreciated!**

**This is Edward's PoV**

* * *

I was waking up, finally. Damn, did I hate it when she made me pass out like that.

"God dammit, Bella," I grumbled, moving around to shake the sleepy feeling from my body.

"Sorry," she murmured with a smile in her voice.

Couldn't she keep her foul mouth shut? I wish I could put her in her place.

"I wish I could beat the hell out of you." It'd be my fucking dream come true, actually. "I'd teach you a lesson or two." I opened my eyes to see her reaction.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, pussy," she snarled, springing to her feet. "I'm serious; I'll unchain you if you promise only to fight me and not try to run away."

Was she serious? I sat up, considering her wager.

"Seriously?" I asked in shock.

"Yes," she answered impatiently. "I'm damn sick of you complaining like a girl and talking about how much stronger you are than me. Prove it, you cocky little shit."

I couldn't even remember the last time I'd been called a cocky little shit. My _grandpa_ used to call me that.

My eyes narrowed, my anger consuming my mind. "It's a deal, bitch. I'll shut up if you win, but if I win, you have to swear you won't go after my dad."

She stalked over to me and shook my chained hand before saying, "Let's take this outside."

She jerked my body forward and threw me over her shoulder. She walked into the backyard of this tiny house.

"Hey, you have to unchain me," I reminded her sternly.

"No shit, Sherlock," she muttered. How mature.

She threw me onto the grass and I clenched my teeth as my tailbone ached with each heartbeat. Didn't this girl know how to keep her temper in check? She undid the chains swiftly and tossed them to the side. She stood up straight and got into a classic defensive position.

I rubbed the areas that had been chained since we left the airport and stood up slowly. It felt odd to be out of these chains. I'd been in them for nearly twenty-four hours already. As if there weren't enough reasons to hate Bella Swan. I gave her a glare and took my standard defensive position. I moved to her slowly, like a lion stalking a gazelle, or so I've been told.

"Bring it on, pretty boy," she sneered, moving slightly forward.

_That's it_. I lunged at her, trying to make contact with her knees, but she moved out of the way. I knew what she was trying to do. She was going to keep taunting me until my nerves were fried. Well, so much for her idiotic tactics.

"That all you got?" She smirked at me. I knew I'd be able to strike now. "Looks like it'll be a–" _Now._

I lunged at her again, digging my shoulder into her stomach and pushing her to the ground. All of those years of football had paid off. I straddled her stomach and pinned her wrists to the ground before she got over the shock of the hit.

I grinned at my success, my confidence automatically boosted.

"Cocky women are so easy to read in a fight," I murmured as I got in her personal space. "They do more talking than they should, leaving them vulnerable."

She wiggled beneath me. My body betrayed me. I felt the sexual tension flicker like static between us. I could feel myself fight against my own arousal.

"Funny, I thought that _I_ had the upper hand," she murmured sarcastically. "Eager men are so easy to read, too. All I have to do is taunt you and you come full throttle."

She shifted again and I gripped her wrists harder, not only to keep her there, but to try to control my body's involuntary functions. I was concentrating so hard on not being turned on when Bella kicked her legs up from the ground, locking her ankles around my neck and throwing me to the ground.

Bella was back on her feet quicker than I could take a breath. I slowly got to my feet and I couldn't help my eyes from raking over her entire body.

"Don't they teach you anything in the FBI?" she mocked.

I waited for my anger to consume me again, but it never came. I shook my head and rubbed my neck, willing myself to become furious again. I took my fighting stance again. Maybe if I tried to make my body become angry, it would. I continued rubbing away my pain, trying to figure out a way to fight this girl that I had no desire to hurt right now.

We started walking around in a small circle, waiting for the other one to make a move. Suddenly, Bella turned and sprinted to the big swing in the corner of the yard. She went past the swing and turned, jumping to grab the top bar. She started swinging back and forth as I tried to figure out the best angle to approach her from. She could leap at any mom–

Shit. I walked right into her line of fire. She let go of the bar and swung forward, leaping directly towards me. I sprinted, just making it past her. I stopped and faced her as she kicked her leg up, connecting with my jaw. I heard the sickening slap of leather against skin. I staggered back and fell on my ass. The girl had a powerful kick, I'd give her that.

I wiped my face, trying to act distracted by my throbbing jaw. I threw my fist into her hip, hearing my knuckles crack as I connected with pure bone. She didn't seem fazed by my weak attempts. If only I could get angry. She backhanded me across my left cheek bone. She was breathing just as heavily as I was now. I pulled my arm back to punch her. I saw her eyes widen with genuine fear before she closed them, waiting for the hit. I finally figured out why I wasn't angry with her.

She was human, beneath all the surgeries and advancements. She was someone's child, someone's granddaughter, someone's world... She didn't _want_ any of this. She didn't want to be inhuman or indestructible, she just was. She couldn't control her emotions anymore than I could control the weather.

I put my hands on my knees, catching my breath and shaking my head. I couldn't hurt someone like her. She was doing what her training had taught her.

When I looked back at her, she was looking at me suspiciously. She didn't understand why I wasn't trying to hurt her.

"Fight back!" she exploded. "Don't just let me win."

I shook my head again. There was no winning or losing in this fight.

She pushed me, trying to gain a reaction so she would have a reason to fight.

"Come on," she taunted. "Don't be fooled because I'm a woman."

Did she think all men were sexist pigs? Jesus, she could probably take out Emmett if she wanted to. I looked up at her, begging her silently to give it up.

She let out a roar of frustration, grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling my body straight. She kneed me in my lower abdomen.

"Oh," I moaned, doubling over and grabbing my stomach.

This girl was strong. This was all the proof I needed. She was obviously reformatted in some way. She couldn't help herself and I pitied her greatly. She was made to pretend to be a stripper or a prostitute just to get closer to all the sick government agents of the world. She was Project R's most prized possession, probably. She could access any government official in the world by flashing a bit of cleavage. She was a plaything to the government. I suddenly felt myself change my loyalty. If this is how the government dealt with spies, then I wanted nothing to do with the government.

I stood up again, looking at Bella grimly. She slapped me forcefully. My pity could only increase. I looked back at her calmly, holding my ground.

She pulled her arm back again, and I blocked it. She finally broke down into tearless sobs. She was trying so hard to get a reaction out of me. My heart swelled with forgiveness and pity.

She was broken, but perfect. I felt the incredible need to protect and heal this gorgeous woman after everything she had been through.

"Fight back," she begged.

I shook my head. I pulled her warm body closer to mine and kissed her softly, trying to soothe her anger and frustration. She hadn't felt cared for in a long time, and I was taking it on myself now. Underneath all this tough casing was a loveable girl that didn't have thoughts and involuntary actions laced with death.

She was stiff with shock, so I pulled away a bit, letting her ease into this new emotion. But before my lips pulled fully away from hers, her arms were thrown around my neck, pulling me in for a much more passionate and responsive kiss.

She pushed away with a gasp. I looked at her face, seeing only confusion. She looked at the ground, her hands grasping my shoulders. I cautiously lifted my hand to her chin, gently urging it upwards so she could look at me.

She looked at me directly, her chocolate brown eyes curious and...apprehensive?

"Why do I feel like this?" she whispered, begging for an answer. It was odd. She was like a child when it came to this type of situation.

"Tell me what you're feeling right now," I requested quietly, looking at her porcelain face intently.

"I feel," she struggled to find the proper word, "like someone put my feelings into a blender and mixed them together. I can't tell which emotion is dominant. I don't think I've ever felt like this before."

Huh. Even her analogies were gruesome. Who would ever compare being confused to a blender full of mixed emotions?

"But, I feel...attached to you," she continued, scowling slightly. "I was designed to never develop emotional ties to people, but I do have them for you. I don't even feel attached to Jacob, and he's been my best friend since my junior year in high school."

This was already a huge break through for Bella. The fact that she felt protective of another human being besides herself was remarkable, to say the least.

"I feel attached to you, too, Bella," I told her, gazing into her eyes. "I'm going to find the real you, eventually. Right now you're caught between Redbird and Bella, and I'm determined to bring you back to life."

She looked at me with shock and pure sadness. She sobbed once, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around me again, burying her face in my chest. I gently cradled her to my chest. I think I gave her hope, and seeing her feel hope for the first time gave me hope. She would make it through all of this.

She pulled away and looked at me with an apologetic smile. "I would really like for things to be that easy, Cu–Edward. My whole life can't just switch. When I finish my task, then I can become Bella again. I'm finding myself already."

I must have mistaken her reaction. I looked at the ground. This was understandable, her anger towards Project R. But, my dad...

"Edward." She grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her this time. She wore a determined expression. "I will not kill your father, I promise. I just want to talk to him. After I kill James, I'll be Bella again. He's who I should have killed from the beginning, but I wasn't strong enough. Once he's cold and dead, I'll be content."

I grinned at her. "Thank you, Bella. I know as an FBI agent, I shouldn't be happy about your plans to kill James, but I just wanted to keep my dad safe." I hugged her tightly, feeling her arms snake around my waist. "Thank you."

"I should have told you sooner," she murmured into my chest. "Jacob and I decided that I was going to kill James first so that the better man could live. I'm so sick of this life, Edward."

"Shh," I cooed gently, running my hand over the back of her head. "It'll all be over soon."

* * *

**No, they're not in love. Love doesn't come as easily as it does in the series, sorry to burst everyone's bubble. But I'm not going to go into my love rant, it's long and venomous, and just plain old ugly. **

**So, whatda think? I _needed_ to Edward's PoV, I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on his head while this was going on. It was a lot harder to write than Bella's PoV because there's a lot more going through Edward's mind at this point in time.**

**Aren't you guys happy that Carlisle isn't going to die anymore? I know that I am. I always think of Peter Facnilli when I think of Carlisle now, so I couldn't kill off the sexiest man alive. Seriously, I'm going to hunt that man down, get his wife to "disappear", and make him my prisoner of love for the rest of his life. He's so damn sexy. **

**Don't forget to check out the playlist on my dA page! Here's where it's at: www(dot)ladyinblue6(dot)deviantart(dot)com/journal/21890540/**

**Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**This chapter would be named "Kraft Dinner" if I named these chapters. I think there's a reference to KD in every paragraph for a while, haha. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Edward just held me for a few more minutes. I've never felt so...wanted. I couldn't remember James or Mike ever holding me like this. _This_ felt right. It calmed me and comforted me.

I finally pulled away with a sigh. "Let's go back in the house. Jacob will be back soon with his charger."

Edward nodded and as I led him back into the house he kept an arm around my shoulders. I had to suppress the smile I wanted to flash.

This was all so damn _confusing_. I felt a mixture of relaxation, bashfulness, lust, and pure happiness, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a while.

What this bunch of feelings meant, I had no idea. It was actually very annoying not knowing what my feelings were. I usually know everything about myself.

I sat down on the couch and Edward sat beside me. He didn't have his hands all over me, he was just close, and that had a soothing affect on me. I didn't feel that urge anymore. The urge to kill all foreigners. Maybe I really was going to be Bella instead of Redbird after this.

"You must be hungry," I murmured. "Do you want anything? You probably would never assume that I'm a decent cook."

Edward raised his eyebrows at me. "Should I trust you on this one?"

I smiled and shoved him playfully. "Come on, when have I ever lied to you? I mean, after you found out who I really am."

Edward shrugged and pondered that. I shook my head and stood up, heading to the kitchen, I hadn't eaten a full meal since before I killed Tompkins and Yorkie.

"So, how often do you eat?" Edward asked as he entered the kitchen.

I started sifting through Jacob's pantry. "I don't really have a timeline for it. The last time I had a full meal was just over a week ago, but I ate a little with you."

"And you don't feel extremely hungry after all of your meals?" Edward continued.

I found some Kraft Dinner to make.

"Yeah, I get really intense pains in my abdomen, but pain makes me stronger, remember?" I murmured, going to find a pot. "Even small dosages of pain make me a lot stronger than regular people."

I grabbed a big pot, milk, and butter, and started making the Kraft Dinner.

"I can't remember the last time I had KD," Edward admitted amusedly. "Probably after a frat party or something in university."

I laughed quietly. "This was all I ate while I was living in Qu–hiding." I wasn't sure if I trusted Edward enough to give away the name of my hiding place.

Edward rolled his eyes. "I'm on your side now, Bella. I'm not going to give you away."

I bit my lip as I let the macaroni cook. "I don't know..."

"Please, Bella?" he pleaded. "I want to know. It could help me to understand all of this better."

I sighed. "Fine, I have a place in Quebec. I ran there after training camp."

I stirred the contents of the pot in silence. I hate talking about my secrets. I was scared that they could be used against me.

"Bella–" Edward began before Jacob banged through the front door.

Jacob was wearing a goofy grin as he walked to his laptop. He didn't even notice that Edward was walking around freely.

"Jake, why are you so happy?" I teased. "You couldn't have finished that quickly, could you?"

Jacob chuckled. "Oh, sweet, naive, Bella. You have _no_ idea."

"Ick," I murmured, draining the water out of the pot. I started mixing the milk, butter, and cheese powder into the cooked noodles.

Edward chuckled lowly at our interaction with each other. We did act like brother and sister, I guess. That's what Charlie, my dad, and Billy, Jacob's dad, always used to say. They always starting saying stuff about how they swapped partners for the weekend once and Jacob and I were the result. Gross.

I froze. Had I really just thought about my dad fondly? All of my thoughts had always been bad when it came to my parents. I hated them for ditching out on me. I probably wouldn't be in this situation if they would have let me stay at home.

I cleared my throat and grabbed a bowl.

"Dinner is served," I announced after my bowl was full of Kraft Dinner.

I handed Edward a bowl and said, "Help yourself."

He smiled and dished out a helping of Kraft Dinner. I opened the fridge and grabbed the bottle of ketchup, squirting it all over my macaroni.

Edward looked at me with a disgusted face. "Ketchup? With KD? Bella, that is so gross."

"No way," I disagreed, taking a forkful. "It's the only way to eat it." I put the fork in my mouth with a smile.

Edward shook his head and stirred his Kraft Dinner.

"Bella, do you wanna bring me a bowl of KD?" Jacob asked distractedly.

"Do you want ketchup on it?" I asked as I dished him up a serving.

"Yeah, sure," Jacob murmured, still not paying attention. For being so smart with technology, the boy was pretty oblivious. He still hadn't realized that Edward wasn't in chains anymore.

I poured plenty of ketchup on his Kraft Dinner with a smirk. I glanced at Edward, who was still disgusted. I took Jacob his bowl. He shoved some in his mouth and chewed, looking at something on the computer.

"Told you that ketchup was good on KD, Edward," I informed him with a smirk.

Jacob looked at me with a confused scowl. I rolled my eyes and gestured to Edward, who was eating his bowl of Kraft Dinner quietly in the kitchen.

"What the...," Jacob murmured. He looked at me, still scowling.

"He's on our side," I whispered. "He's going to help."

"Bella, are you sure?" he asked nervously. "I mean, he's an FBI agent, it's his job to deceive people."

"That's what my job entails, too, Jacob," I reminded him. "And anyway, I still have the upper hand. We were fighting in the backyard, and it was obvious that I was stronger."

"But, Bella–" Jacob paused. "You were fighting Cullen in my backyard?"

"Yeah," I answered nonchalantly, scooping up some more Kraft Dinner. "I would have won, too, if he hadn't had an epiphany in the middle of the fight."

"So, he realized that what you're doing is right while you were kicking his ass?" Jacob summarized.

I nodded. "Yes, I guess you could put it like that."

Jacob turned back to the computer with wide eyes. "Whatever you say, Bella, if you think you can handle it."

"I _can_ handle it," I retorted stubbornly. "No luck with James yet?"

Jacob shook his head. "They disclose his locations better than the others. It'll take me a while to hack into their server and find James. You might as well get comfortable, chill for a while." Jacob looked at me cautiously. "Maybe talk to your mom."

A growl formed in my throat. "No, I'm never talking to her."

Jacob sighed. "When are you going to grow up and realize that she was just trying to protect you, Bella? She thought you'd stop fighting for your family, but you're just too damn stubborn, aren't you? You had to run away with psychopathic James and end like _this_. She _still_ misses you, Bella. Every time I go over there, she asks about you."

I crossed my arms and pursed my lips, looking at the ceiling. I got this lecture every time I came back to Phoenix.

"He's right, you know, Bella," Edward murmured, breaking the tense silence. "Your mom was probably trying to save you from being hurt, and if you have accepted that, you'd have a normal life now."

I stared at Edward in shock. How dare he stroll in on _this_, of all conversations, and tell _me_, of all people what to do.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I growled.

"Actually, I think I do," Edward answered confidently. "My parents have always been overprotective of me. I'm the youngest and Emmett was a screw-up, while I was 'perfect'. I dropped out of med school because I wanted to piss my dad off, and I joined the army to get my mom worried sick about me. I would be a doctor by now if I hadn't been so stupidly rebellious."

"Your file says failed med school," I stated with a scowl.

Edward chuckled humourlessly. "I should have known you'd have looked at my profile. That's the only way I could drop out. Dad wouldn't let me just give up, so I had to get kicked out by the university."

"That sucks," I muttered bluntly.

"It did suck," Edward admitted. "But I talked to my parents after. I have my family behind my back every step of the way, no matter what. It's nice to know that you can always have someone to fall back on, Bella, even if you have been fighting."

I sighed. "How could he make going back to my mom so appealing?

Edward must have seen my mind wavering because he quickly added, "I'll go with you, if that would help."

I snorted and looked at him like he was stupid. "How would that help at all?" I started to mimic what would happen. "'Hey there, Renee! How's life? Good, good. Oh, hey! This is Edward Cullen, an FBI agent. And, by the way, we're just stopping in Phoenix before I go kill a few people in hopes of having a normal life. Nice talking to you, Ma. You might wanna grab a paper bag in case you start hyperventilating. Alright, well, see you later.'" I glared at Edward.

Jacob and Edward both started laughing at my rant. I crossed my arms and looked at the ground. Stupid men laughing at me...

"Jesus, Bella," Jacob panted. "I don't think I've ever laughed this hard with you before."

"You were laughing _at_ me, Jacob," I mumbled.

Edward grinned, still chuckling. "Are you always this illogical, Bella?"

"What do you mean?" I murmured, scowling.

"Well, frick, do you think I'm stupid?" I raised my eyebrow with a smirk. "Well, I'm not. I could pretend to be your boyfriend or something."

I nearly choked on the air I was breathing. Edward pretending to be my boyfriend? Talk about doing a one-eighty in an hour or so.

"You don't have to do that," I mumbled, embarrassed. "If I'm going to see her, I better do it alone."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Bella, if we left it up to you, it would never get done. Let Edward go with you, just visit Renee for a while. Let her know that you're still alive."

I nodded stupidly. I couldn't believe I was about to do this.

* * *

**So, this isn't really Seducing Revenge material, as you can see. It's completely different from last chapter, and I don't know why. Everything was so tame. I think it's because Bella has to be humane while she's with Renee. Oh, well, hopefully things will go back to normal. **

**So, Twilight is out on DVD today. My DVD was actually here over a week ago, but I wasn't allowed to look at it or anything because of legal reasons, so I just ran down to the movie rental place and grabbed it today. My youngest sister, Kat, who is nine, is reading Twilight right now, so she's cooped up in her bed, because she's sick with laringitis, poor baby, reading and watching the movie. I'm watching it tonight with a friend or two, I think. I'm not too worried about watching it, haha.**

**Hmm. I was in a play all week, so that was why this didn't get posted as quickly. It was Rumpelstiltskin, and it was a blast. I love drama. It's so much fun. **

**Well, I guess that's it? Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome back, peeps! I can't believe I updated **_**The Dirty and the Delicate **_**AND **_**Seducing Revenge **_**today. I think it's lack of sleep and unbearable boredom... I was in the hospital until one-thirty-ish last night with a friend, who has a mysterious stomach problem, and then pain was too much for him, so we took him to the emergency room. Then I went to a party a broke up a fight! :D Are ya proud of me?**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

I couldn't believe I was here. I _grew up_ here? That feels like an entirely different life when, really, it had only been five years since I'd left this place.

I was in my little black dress with my high heels and my mother's black pearls. She'd like to see that I still wore them, probably.

Not only was I going to see my mom, but I was also going to see my stepdad, Phil, and the newest addition to the Dwyer family, Seth. Apparently Renee had a kid a year after I got kicked out. He would be four-years old now...

I took a deep breath, my entire body shaking. Sure, give me a room full of assassins and I was collected. But, heaven forbid you force me to deal with my family. I don't think I've been so jittery in my whole life.

I reached up to knock on the door, but let my arm drop. A warm hand clasped mine, squeezing it reassuringly.

Oh, yeah. My "boyfriend" was with me.

Edward was wearing the same suit he had been since we left Italy. He couldn't fit into any of Jacob's clothes.

He still looked good, though. More than good, he looked like a decent boyfriend, probably better than Renee would expect from a bratty misfit like me.

I took a deep breath again and knocked on the door, feeling my every nerve shake with nervousness and anticipation.

Phil opened the door with a smile, letting us in. Renee and Seth were waiting in the porch. There was a tense, one-second pause.

Then Renee burst into tears.

"Belly, my Bella," she sobbed, latching onto my neck. I let go of Edward's hand and grabbed her fiercely, feeling the burn of tears that I wanted to shed in my eyes.

"Mom," I whispered. "I'm sorry, so sorry."

Her sobs hitched. "No, Bella, it's my entire fault. _I'm_ sorry."

I pretended to wipe my eyes and then I pulled away with a teary smile.

"Mama, why are you crying?" Seth asked, a worried scowl settled onto his face.

The kid was cute, I couldn't deny that. He had Phil's gray eyes and black hair, but Renee's pale complexion and set chin.

"It's nothing, baby," Renee assured him. "Mama's just glad to see your sister."

"Sister?" he asked blankly, pointing at me.

"Yes, Seth, that's your sister, Bella," Phil said slowly.

"Bella," Seth murmured with a thoughtful look on his face. He looked at me with those piercing gray eyes. "I'm your brother Seth, Bella."

Phil, Renee, and I laughed at the kid. I could see myself coming home just to see him. Children were so refreshing after being around adults for most of my life.

"Who's your friend, Bella?" Renee asked, her voice full of implications.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, shaking my head. "Renee, Phil, Seth, this is Edward Cullen my, uh...boyfriend. Edward, this is my mom, Renee, my stepdad, Phil, and my half-brother, Seth."

Edward said hello and shook everyone's hands. It was odd how ridiculously normal this scene was.

"Why don't we sit down in the living room?" Renee asked, picking Seth up.

We all went into the small living room. Renee and Phil took the couch, Seth took the floor near his toys, and Edward and I sat together on the loveseat. Edward grasped my hand and smiled at me reassuringly.

"So where did you two meet?" Renee asked, taking on the lighter, less emotional conversation.

I said "Quebec" and Edward said "Chicago". We looked at each other. Edward started laughing then, and I joined in nervously.

"You see, I always say Chicago because that's where I first noticed Bella, but she didn't notice me," Edward lied smoothly. "We both were going on a tour that takes you to Quebec and Ontario for sight-seeing, so we were on the same bus all day long, for the most part. I couldn't help but to notice her every movement from the moment I laid eyes on her." Edward glanced at me with a warm smile. "I didn't introduce myself until we made it to Quebec, so that's where Bella says we met."

I glanced at Renee and Phil. They were eating his lies like candy. Edward threw his arm over my shoulder casually.

"I asked her to be my girlfriend at Niagara Falls." I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at that. That was too much. "That was two years ago."

"Oh," Renee sighed. "That's wonderful, you two. I'm so happy for you, Bella. I'm glad to see you pick such a nice young man."

I smiled weakly at her.

"When did you break up with James?" Phil asked bluntly, getting a mean glare from Renee.

"After I graduated," I replied coolly. "And he broke up with me. I ran away from Phoenix after that. Too many bad memories."

Phil nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Where have you been all this time, Bella?" Renee whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.

I sighed. "Well, I stayed here for a year, and then I moved to New York for about a month and a half. Then I went back and forth between Canada and the States before settling in Chicago with Edward."

Renee nodded. Then she glanced at my neck and a teary-eyed smile spread across her face.

"My pearls," she murmured gleefully.

"I couldn't give them up," I told her honestly. "I never wanted to lose you completely, Mom. I always kept a piece of you with me."

"Edward," Seth interrupted. "Do you wanna play trucks with me? You can even be the semi, if you want."

"Honey, I'm sure Edward doesn't want–" Renee began.

"No, it's fine," Edward assured her. "I'd love to, Seth."

Edward went and sat down beside Seth on the floor and grabbed the semi, pushing it around while Seth drove a tractor with a front-end loader on it.

"Bella," Renee called, breaking me away from the dream from the plane ride to Phoenix. "Would you like to come help me get coffee?"

"Sure," I answered, standing up.

Renee led me into the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee and pulled out a package of chocolate chip cookies.

"Edward seems very nice," Renee stated in a nonchalant way that implied that she wanted me to talk about him.

"He is," I answered, leaning against the counter. "Different from anyone else I've ever dated."

Renee nodded gravely. "I don't suppose you heard about Mike Newton, did you?" The colour drained from my face. "Someone murdered him about three years ago in Texas in his dorm." She shook her head. "Horrible, isn't it?"

I nodded numbly, unable to speak at the moment.

Renee sighed. "We went to James's house after you graduated, Bella. He wasn't there anymore, and neither were you. I really lost you then."

I swallowed, feeling thoroughly guilty for ever assuming that Renee didn't care about me.

"Jacob didn't tell me that," I whispered.

"Jacob doesn't know that," Renee replied, just as quietly as I had. "If I had known that you still spoke to Jake, I would have told him, but I didn't know."

"I told him not to tell you," I whispered, my voice thick with tears that I couldn't shed. "I'm sorry."

Renee shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "It doesn't matter. You're here with me now, and that's all that matters."

I nodded, my face contorted with sorrow.

"Just promise that you'll visit when you're in the area," she requested, grasping my shoulders and holding my gaze strongly.

"I promise," I vowed.

She smiled and hugged me.

We poured four cups of black coffee and one cup of milk, and brought the pack of cookies with us into the living room.

The scene Renee and I intruded on was enough to make my heart swell with longing.

Edward was tickling Seth, laughing with him. It looked so...regular. I wanted something like this badly. I'd never wanted something so badly in my life.

I didn't necessarily want Edward as my husband and Seth as my son, I just wanted something so cliché that it should make me want to roll my eyes.

I wanted to fall head-over-heels for a guy that was desperately in love with me, get married, find my suburban house with the white picket fence, get a normal job, have kids, and be happy until the day I died.

What made the longing even worse was knowing that this was something I could never achieve. I would never be normal or achieve normal. Hell, after I killed James, I probably would have to Africa just to ensure my life. I wouldn't be able to visit Renee ever again...

_Enough,_ I commanded. I'll deal with that later.

Renee laughed at the two boys, and they stopped. Edward grinned at me before standing up and walking over to me, kissing me on the forehead and snaking an arm around me waist. This felt almost real, and I thoroughly enjoyed that feeling.

I grabbed a cup of coffee, but didn't drink any. Caffeine sent my body into overdrive, and Renee didn't need to be exposed to that ever. I was more of an animal than a human when I had too much caffeine.

We sat down in our same spots and Edward started talking to Phil about his baseball career. I had forgotten that Phil played minor league baseball for a living.

Seth walked over to me shyly while everyone else was talking animatedly about the New York Yankees.

"Bella, can I sit on your lap?" he asked bashfully.

I was shocked for a split second, but then I smiled at my half-brother. "Of course, bud." I picked him up easily and set him on my lap.

Seth leaned into me and looked at me through his eyelashes. How absolutely, painfully adorable.

"Oh, we definitely need a picture of that," Renee crooned, pulling a digital camera out of thin air. "Don't move."

I looked at Seth and Seth looked at me, still smiling. I saw a flash, but I didn't look away from Seth. I was going to savour this moment of average-ness. It would be the last time I would ever be normal.

Renee gasped. "Look at the time! It's already nine-thirty! Phil, could you give Seth a quick bath and put him to bed? I'm sorry, Bella and Edward."

We both shook our heads.

"It's fine, really," I assured her. "We can come by tomorrow, Mom. We're in town for a while."

"Really?" Renee asked with sparkling eyes. "Okay, sounds perfect. I'll phone Jacob's tomorrow."

I nodded, smiling, and Edward and I stood up.

"Bella, please have your coffee," Renee kind of scolded. "I don't want to waste it."

I eyed the cup up nervously. I grabbed it. I could stay outside if I got too out of hand, I guess. I downed the cup quickly and handed it to Renee.

"Talk to you tomorrow, Mom!" I called as I dragged Edward out the door.

"Bye, Bella!" she called back. I closed the door.

"What was the all about?" Edward asked. "You're acting weird."

A shudder quaked throughout my whole body and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. What would I do this time?

"Caffeine," I whispered through my chattering teeth. "Makes me...crazy."

Edward gaped at me.

I laughed at his worried expression, my body still shaking. That phase would pass soon.

"I'll be fine, I think," I comforted him. "I'll sleep outside if I feel particularly destructive this time."

"This has happened before?" Edward asked, shocked.

I smiled and nodded. "I ran for an entire twenty-four hours the first time and the last time I raided seventeen gun shops in one night. The most destructive I've been is when I tore my hotel room to shreds in New York a few years ago. I left before they could get any cash out of me."

"Oh," Edward replied brilliantly.

The shuddering stopped as we were about to walk into Jacob's yard. I knew what my body wanted to do, and my sense and nerves were on fire.

I looked Edward over seductively, the caffeine monster taking the form of a sex fiend.

A growl erupted from my throat.

"Bella?" Edward asked apprehensively. "What's–why are you looking at me like that?"

I leapt at him, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling his face to mine, crushing our lips together in a passionate embrace. He wobbled a bit, but kept his ground.

Edward tugged his face away from me, and another primal growl left my throat. I was not a patient woman while I was on a caffeine high.

"What's this all about?" he demanded breathlessly, his hands holding my hips tightly.

A purr escaped my throat as I felt my core light on fire.

I leaned in and licked the sensitive spot behind Edward's ear.

"I hope you have a lot of energy, Edward," I whispered seductively. I moved my hand down his chest, near his erection. "It's going to be a long and orgasmic night."

"Oh my fucking God," he breathed, swallowing deeply.

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**I added Seth in as Renee's kid just 'cause I already knew that he gets along with both Bella and Edward. If I made a new kid, he might have disliked one of them for some reason.**

**This went better than I expected to be honest. But, then again, I didn't anticipate a kid coming into play. Do you think it went **_**too **_**well? Well, yeah, probably, but I'm giving Bella and Edward some happiness before bad stuff happens again.**

**So, do you think they're gunna bang? Or is Edward going to force Bella to stop? Next chapter, my lovelies, next chapter.**

**The songs for this chapter are:**

**Danger! High Voltage – Electric Six  
Reason: Bella and Edward's foreplay.**

**All At Once – The Fray  
Reason: Bella went back home to Renee**

**Animals – Nickelback  
Reason: Bella acts a lot like an animal.**

**Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm terribly sorry for the wait. Life has been...crazy. But, I shall not bore you with all that junk and pessimism. Thanks for the story subscriptions, favourites, author alerts, and author favourites! I can't express how much I appreciate that!**

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**Edward's PoV**

"Oh my fucking God," I whispered, swallowing loudly.

It was insane how much a person's life could change after an epiphany. Mere days ago, I would have thrown her off my erection and taken four showers to get rid of the slimy feeling. A week ago, I would have taken advantage of this situation so fast it would make her head spin.

Now I didn't know what I wanted.

I sure as hell wasn't disgusted by the situation I was in. Fuck, I was rock hard already. I would love to bang Bella again. She was easily the best lay I'd ever had.

But, I needed to stay away from her in this sort of physical way if I wanted to continue helping her get out of this government mess. I couldn't afford to make any strong ties to her. She'd be stripping within two weeks again, and I get as jealous as the fucking green monster himself when women I'm consistently banging even look a fleeting glance at another man, let alone take off all her damn clothes.

No, I shouldn't do this. It would only complicate my life. Sure, I'd be having fucking great sex with a hot woman that told me that she wanted to fuck me all night long, but...

Fuck it. Complications could be dealt with later.

I moaned as her tongue flicked against my earlobe. My hands covered her tiny ass easily, holding her closer to my hard cock.

"Yes," she hissed, pulling my face to hers. My green eyes locked with her brown eyes. "You won't be disappointed."

I chuckled at the confidence in her voice. But I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. Even if Bella wasn't caffeine-ridden, I knew I'd be getting only the best.

She kissed me with hard passion. I slowly backed up towards Jacob Black's house, trying to keep my balance and meet Bella's unending hyperactivity at the same time, which was a seemingly hard task.

My back hit the doorknob and I hissed in pain.

"Oh, poor baby," Bella mumbled sarcastically against my swollen lips. "Make the pain pleasure."

I shook my head, still attacking her lips fervently. "You're crazy, y'know that?"

"Shut up," she growled, thrusting her hips into mine, making my cock very uncomfortable.

I obeyed, letting her dominate me. For a while at least. I'd have my way with Bella Swan sometime tonight.

Her hand found the doorknob somehow and I stumbled backwards into Jacob's dark house. He was at his girlfriend's tonight, thank God.

I kicked the door shut and set Bella on her feet. I had to bend down to her height now, but I didn't mind. Short girls were always more of a turn-on for me, anyway.

Her hands clawed at me dangerously. I knew she could easily hurt me in her frenzy, and, hell, she probably would. She probably didn't know her own strength in situations like these. One flick of her wrist could give me a nasty bruise. Shit, I was still hurting from the beating I got from her two days ago!

I guess I just had to trust her.

"Your room or my room?" I whispered breathlessly as I tangled my fingers in her wavy brown hair.

"Your room," she answered. "It's your turn."

I smirked before leaning down to catch her pouty bottom lip between my teeth. She snarled, shoving me away.

"You really shouldn't have done that," she growled, advancing on me like a predator approaches its prey. She looked crazy, and my cock pulsed at the sight of her. Her brown eyes were on fire with lust and passion, her hair was tangled and chaotic (that was mostly my fault), her top lip was curled over her teeth, and she was wearing an evil smirk. I would have been scared if I wasn't so damn turned on.

I swallowed loudly, willing my feet to stay put. I didn't want to run. I didn't want her to have that much control over me. _I _was the man, and _I _was going to be in control. Eventually.

Her hand massaged the bulge in my pants roughly for a few strokes, making my eyes roll into the back of my head. While my eyes were still closed, she pulled away, leaving me with a pulsating cock and the undeniable need for a good, old-fashioned fuck.

My eyelids flipped open, automatically searching for the only girl that could quench this all-consuming thirst. She had disappeared. I turned around and walked as calmly as I could towards the hallway. I looked to the left and saw Bella slip her little black dress over her head, throwing it to the ground before looking over her shoulder and winking seductively at me.

I restrained myself from running into the guest room I was staying in. I loosened my belt a notch and my tie before entering the room.

Bella was perched on the foot on the bed in a crouch. Her waves were hanging in her eyes, but I could still see them twinkling in the moonlight streaming in through the window. Her chest was heaving and her arousal was emanating itself throughout the entire room. It was all so horrifyingly bizarre, and I wanted this badly. I was never the guy that did any weird, kinky shit in the bedroom, but _this_...wow. I was speechless and horny as fuck.

A growl erupted from her heaving chest. Her teeth were bared and her fingernails were scratching at the wooden perch she was on. She was so...animalistic right now.

I had two options. One, let the sub in me take over and bow to Bella's every desire. Two, I could try to keep up with he, give her a bit of a fight until she proved to me that she was the boss. The owner of my ass for the night.

Of course I chose two. I'm always up for a competition.

So I tackled Bella off her perch and onto the bed. She let out a snarl and my breath hitched as she struggled beneath my body. I did have a good eighty pounds on her, at least. I pinned her arms down and straddled her twisting body.

She looked at me with lidded eyes and purred like a fucking cat. Why I was turned on by all of this, I'll never know.

Her claw-like hands ran up my stomach, taking my shirt off at the same time. My cock was straining against my dress pants, trying to salute Bella for being such a God damn turn-on.

My hands roamed over her creamy, toned abdomen and up onto her breasts. Her breasts were perfect for me. They fit in my hands as well as her little ass did.

She hissed, in pleasure I hope, as I palmed her breasts through her bra.

"Let's take your shirt off, Mister Cullen," she breathed in a husky voice, her fiery eyes roaming over the part of my body that she had exposed.

I quickly disposed of my shirt and brought my hands back down to her chest. My hands snaked around her back, making her arch off the bed, and searched for the clasps to her sexy black bra.

Bella's nimble fingers undid my belt and buttons before I had time to pull her bra away from her body.

"It's the fastest who gets paid, and it's the fastest who gets laid, Mister Cullen," Bella murmured breathily, smirking her seductive smile.

Well, I'll be damned. The woman just quoted _Talladega Nights_.

"Don't _ever_ call me Mister Cullen again, do you understand me?" I growled, leaning over her body and ripping her breasts free.

She arched an eyebrow, still smirking. "Very well, _Edward_."

I smiled triumphantly. One battle won.

She sat up and put her left cheek to my right one and sucked hard on the skin near my ear, surely leaving a permanent bruise.

"Now the next woman that you're with will know you were satisfied," she breathed. "Then maybe you'll have the chance to be the dom, 'cause right now, I'm in charge, _Edward_." She threw her body against mine, forcing me to fall backwards.

She was straddling my cock and bouncing around, making my hips buck. My eyes found her bouncing breasts very intriguing.

"Ah, I think someone's ready for a ride," Bella murmured, sliding back on her haunches. She pulled my pants and boxers off, leaving my erection up and ready for action. I barely even felt the pain of Bella's heels digging into my thighs anymore.

"Too bad I'm not ready yet," she breathed, frowning. She shuffled back some more and leaned forward, putting her hands on my thighs.

Bella stared into my eyes and she leaned closer and closer to hard erection. I could feel her hot breath on the tip of my cock, and the pre-cum already streaming.

"Someone's easily excited."

Then she licked the tip of my cock, swirling around the juice I'd already let loose. I moaned and my head fell back onto the bed, my eyes closing and my fingers lacing themselves in Bella's hair.

She took the entire length of my cock in her mouth and sucked, making my pulse jump. My breathing became shaky as she chose a slow and torturous speed to bob. Bella licked from the bottom of my balls all the way up to the tip and back again a few times, making me grasp Bella's hair tighter.

"God damn...uhhhn...Bella," I stammered breathlessly. "You're so...fuuuuck...beautiful."

Her mouth stopped and I wearily opened my eyes and searched for that mouth that had been pleasuring me so well.

She was straddling my thighs, her hands on her own thighs now. Her chest was heaving and hitching, making her perfect breasts bounce. Her shoulders were shaking, as was her tiny jaw. Her pouty lower lip was trembling. There was a tiny bit of perspiration between her upper lip and nose. Her pretty brown eyes were swimming with tears that she couldn't shed.

What had I done?

"I'm...sorry?" I asked, not sure what I was sorry for.

She shook her head. "Don't be," she whispered in a thick voice.

Then she lunged at me, kissing me like I'd never been kissed before. Her tongue jarred my mouth immediately. Our tongues tangled as Bella's hands rested on my chest and my hands found her perfect ass. Her tongue massaged mine and I returned the favour. We never broke, we continued making out like we were seventeen-years-old again. I wouldn't mind just making out actually. So I broke away.

"We don't have to have sex, you know," I informed Bella, running my thumb over her swollen bottom lip. "I'm pretty content with just making out."

Her lip started to tremble again.

"What did I do this time?" I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes.

"You're too good for me," Bella murmured, slipping out of my grip. I could hear her feet padding out of my room and into the hallway.

What. The. Hell. This girl was so _confusing._

I scrambled off my bed and hopped back into my boxers, nearly falling over, before chasing after Bella. I needed to know what the fuck was going on.

I heard her bedroom door close, so I sprinted there, hopping on one foot to stop. I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, finding Bella's window open. She couldn't just use the front door?

No, that'd be too normal.

She was wearing Jacob's "Vote for Pedro" shirt form Napoleon Dynamite, and sitting on the giant swing in Jacob's backyard, looking lonelier than a stray cat.

I hopped out of the house through Bella's window. I slowly walked over there, trying not to startle her. I needed answers that only she could give.

I turned around and sat down on the swing beside her. A couple of days ago, Bella swung off this swing set to try to beat me in a fight. Life couldn't get more bizarre than this.

"Bella?" I asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

She smiled sadly at me. "I'm okay."

"Why did you look like you were going to cry in there?"

"You called me beautiful," she whispered, looking at the moon.

"So?" I prodded, not seeing the issue with that.

"No one's called me beautiful before," she murmured so softly that I barely heard her. "Not James, not Mike, not my parents, no one."

I gaped at her. "Bullshit," I rasped.

She chuckled, still smiling sadly as swung back and forth.

"It's the truth. I guess it just took me by surprise, especially when I was giving you head."

"Thanks for that," I murmured, a heat in my cheeks. "It's been...a while since a girl's done that to me."

"It's been a while since I've done that," Bella admitted, still smiling sadly, no humour left in her smirk. "James was the last guy I did that to. That was the only time I could control him, so I did it as often as possible."

"You're really good," I mumbled.

She laughed loudly. "Thanks."

"So, why'd you almost start crying after I told you we could just make out?" I asked, still curious.

She shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know, Edward." I could tell she was lying. "It's complicated."

"I'm sure I could keep up," I pushed.

"Fine," she snapped. She took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with you. Are you happy?"

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**Well, well, well. Bella Marie Swan, you crazy assassin. All animalistic and nut-so, and then all teary-eyed and depressed, and now you're in love! **

**Yeah, some of you may think it's too fast, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. My story, my decisions (sorta). This is the way it's gotta be to get to that cliché happy ending!**

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**Songs:**

_**Eyes on Fire**_** – Blue Foundation  
Reason: Bella's eyes are all fiery...and stuff.  
**_**Time is Running Out **_**– Muse  
Reason: Time is running out. Duh.  
**_**Too Pretty **_**– State of Shock  
Reason: Bella's feelings about Edward**

**Don't forget to review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome back to the drama. I thought I'd give you guys the bottom to the cliff I left last time. This is personally one of my favourite chapters.**

**Enjoy!**

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I sucked in a breath and scowled. Did I honestly just say that? I mean, it's true, but it's against my own personal creed to ever fall in love with someone. And I just ruined everything.

I head in shame. God, I was such an idiot. Stupid fucking caffeine, stupid Edward, stupid sexual desires, stupid everything.

"Just, uh, forget I said that?" I murmured hopefully. I looked up to try and figure out what was running through Edward's head right now.

No such luck. He was as blank as a slate.

"I'm sorry," I continued, hopefully making up for my slip-up. "I–I..." I tried to say I didn't mean it, but I couldn't lie to Edward about something this important.

So I told him.

"I meant it, I'm not taking it back," I informed him strongly. "But I am sorry if that took you by surprise and you're totally not ready to hear something like that."

Edward smiled weakly at me. "You really are intense, Bella."

I nodded shamelessly.

"Well," Edward began slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I can't honestly say...those words back to you. I mean, I really like you, Bella, I really do, but I'm definitely not in love with you."

Love has always been a curious thing to me. I've never been in love, and I know that. So how do I know I'm in love now?

"How do you know if you're in love?" I murmured, swinging gently.

Edward sighed loudly. "That's a hard question to answer. With Tanya, I just sort of had an epiphany one day on the job. I almost got shot, and she was the first thing in my mind. I wasn't ready to leave her yet. Then everything just fell into place after that. She was my first priority, I protected her from _everything_, I spent all of my free time with her... I should have told her the truth from the beginning, but only fools fall in love, right?"

I shrugged. "I guess I've done some pretty stupid stuff. The first one being seducing you in Italy."

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "I still can't believe that. You had me even before hello. When our eyes met for that second on the plane, I knew I had to see you again. Luck was on my side that night."

"Mine too," I agreed softly. "I don't think I've ever felt so vulnerable in my career."

"Me either," Edward admitted. "I wasn't really supposed to tell you my real name, but it slipped. But can you blame me? You were fucking naked on the balcony in the middle of January. You were a bit distracting."

A smug smile made its way onto my face. "I distracted you?"

Edward laughed quietly and nudged me with his shoulder. "Yeah, quite a bit." He paused. "I really meant it when I said you're beautiful, Bella. You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met."

Those damn tears tried to escape my eyes again. These were the times when I was grateful to Project R for taking my tear ducts away.

"Hey," Edward murmured, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. His eyes bore into mine. "We could – we could work this out. You don't need to kill James. Come with me to Washington, Bella. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll fall in love with you if you stay with me. Just stay, Bella, please." He closed his eyes and swallowed, pressing his forehead to mine.

I couldn't close my eyes. I studied his face intensely, forcing my mind to remember this. I willed myself to never forget this night. It would be, undoubtedly, the best night of my life.

"Edward," I whispered softly, my eyes fluttering shut.

Edward's hands slid up my arms, bringing my swing and body closer to his. He gently pressed his lips to mine, and for once, I didn't need more. A soft, promise of love kiss was exactly what I needed right now. No tongue was needed to make the electricity snap and crackle between us. Just the perfect synchronization of our lips.

I pulled away and rested my chin on Edward's collarbone, kissing his Adam's apple once before resting my cheek against the rising and falling of his chest.

I think I know why I am in love with Edward Cullen now. He gave me that contentment that I had literally killed for. Sure, there were times when I wanted to hurt him, even kill him, and there were the times when I thought I would burst if I got any happier. It was the times like these, though, that counted.

God almighty, I was more deeply in love than I thought.

This was going to hurt a lot more than it was going to hurt ten seconds ago.

"Edward," I murmured in a shaky voice. "I think you should leave tomorrow."

Edward's hands, which were previously rubbing calming circles on my back, froze.

"What do you mean?" he asked stiffly.

"I think you should go back to Washington," he relaxed a bit, "without me." He tensed again.

"Why?"

"I can't give up," I answered simply. "I'm so close to becoming my old self, and even though I used to hate who I was, I miss being clumsy, easily embarrassed Bella. I'm literally giving up everything to find myself, Edward."

"But you're wonderful the way you are right now," Edward attempted to reassure me. "Sure you're intense and aggressive and ridiculous and cocky, but you're also kind-hearted and considerate and sexy and beautiful. Please, Bella. You need to understand that."

I sighed. I _could_ go with Edward and _try_ to forget about all of this, but I knew the idea of James not knowing how much I hate him would always be with me. There would be times that I would forget, and I'm sure over time I'd thank Edward for stopping me. But, right now, I _needed_ it.

"Thank you, Edward," I murmured, my eyes filling up again. "I could probably listen to you say that all day." I half-laughed/half-sobbed.

Edward gripped my hands tightly. "I will, Bella. I'll tell you all those things every day you're with me if you'll just come to Washington with me."

I half-laughed/half-sobbed again. Why did I have to fall in love with someone so damn perfect? I didn't deserve to even be near him.

"I still don't think you understand the severity of all of this, Edward. I could come with you, and be happy and in love, but James will always be there in my mind. _I'll never forget him._ He ruined me for anyone else and until he at least knows how much I despise him for that, he'll always be in here." I tapped my head.

"And I need answers, Edward. I don't know what I am. I'm not ordinary and I'm not extraordinary. I'm at the stupid in between place, and I want to be normal again. And to do that, I need answers."

I breathed a shaky breath and looked at my dirty bare feet. Now it was all out on the table. _You gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em..._

"Bella, you will _never_ be ordinary." I sobbed, my face contorting with that awful love mixed with pain feeling that I already hated. "You will _always_ be extraordinary to me."

I pulled away easily, getting off the swing. I turned to face him.

"Why are you making this so God damn hard for me, Edward?" I demanded, my pain and love mixture bubbling into anger. "I'm _trying_ so fucking hard. Can't you understand that? I love you and I'm not good enough for you. If I do this, I'll get better. I still be tainted and probably a bit psychotic, but maybe I'll be better than I am now."

Edward stood up and my breath caught in my throat, tears welling in my eyes. _Spill over, you fuckers. I could use some tears to my advantage._

"Bella, you are so fucking modest and cocky at the same time that it makes my head spin," Edward informed me quietly. "And I'm going to keep making this hard on you until you stop being so damn stubborn and give up for once."

"Never," I whispered fiercely, trying to rise to his eye level. Even on my tiptoes I was a nearly a head too short.

Edward smirked that tantalizing crooked grin at my attempts to continue to be stubborn. He rested his hands on my shoulders, automatically drowning the anger in me. How can a person remain angry with the person they're in love with?

"I'm serious, Edward," I warned him. "I'm _not_ giving up yet. Give me two more weeks and I'll find you."

"Don't bother," Edward mumbled, turning away from me and going towards the house.

My brow furrowed and my mind digested what had just happened. Had I – had I been dumped before we were even together?

Then the realization of it hit me. It felt like someone was sawing the strings of my heart apart with a blunt blade, making the process of dismemberment long and torturous.

I let out a strangled sob and my whole body started shaking. The grass got closer and closer to my face until everything just went black.

God only knows how long I laid there for. I wasn't dead, but I certainly didn't feel alive either. I vaguely remember the sun painting the sky before Jacob found me.

"Bella? What the..." he trailed. I could hear his bare feet splashing the dew from the grass into the air as he ran to me. "What happened?" He cautiously touched my back with his fingertips. "Where's Cullen?" He paused. "Oh my... That cock sucker! Did he hurt you, Bella? We – we could do something about that." He pulled me up, looking over my pathetic body.

"Jacob," I murmured, stopping his rant. "I told him to go. He was going to stop me. He won't tell, I know he won't. He's...he's gone, Jake. Back to Washington."

Jacob still looked like he was ready to kill Edward. I should be feeling the same way, but I just couldn't find the will to be mad at anyone. Except James.

I would kill that son of a bitch if it was the last thing I ever did. Nothing could stop the rage burning and bubbling inside me now.

But for now, I needed to mourn my already broken heart.

* * *

**Le sigh. It's the most depressing chapter of the series, I promise. No more adult-angst after this. Hope you don't mind gettin' back to the guns and spy-ness after this. **

**There are going to be about four more chapters and then an epilogue, I think. I didn't even realize how close I was to being done until I was figuring it out in my head as I wrote the last bit of the chapter. Crazy, eh? It'll be my first fully finished fanfic! Woo!**

**Songs:  
**_**Santa Monica**_** – Theory of a Deadman**_**  
**_**Reason: Edward leaves Bella. Bella's feelings about Edward leaving.**_**  
Breathe**_** – Taylor Swift**_**  
**_**Reason: Bella doesn't want to go on after Edward leaves but she knows she has to.**_**  
Almost Lover**_** – A Fine Frenzy  
Reason: Bella giving up on her love for Edward.**

**Don't forget to review! They make my happy. :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**I couldn't just drop Seducing Revenge after that past chapter. I needed answers just as much as Bella did, so I kept writing after I finished the last chapter. Sorry, Suave Secrets fans. Seducing Revenge is much more important to me right now.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Two weeks have passed since the best and worst night of my life. My missions still wasn't accomplished. Jacob told me James was in Russia, looking for a new woman to replace me. Apparently that's what he's been doing for the past five years. It made me kind of smug to know that I was irreplaceable.

I caught up on my sleep and I forced myself to eat for the past two weeks. My body and mind were strong, but my heart was still being sawed apart tendril by tendril. It wasn't as distracting as it once was, but it still hurt more than any torture I'd endured while training.

"Bella," Jacob called from his computer. I was still in bed. "Come here, I found something."

I groaned as I moved my dead weight body out of bed and into the living room.

Jacob glanced at me to make sure I'd come to hear this before looking back at the computer. "James won't be back for another two days, hon. He thinks he's found potential in a young Ukrainian. He's going a two day-long assessment before coming back to Washington."

I sighed and sat down on the couch, curling my toes around the edge of the coffee table.

"I don't think I can just sit here for another two days, Jake," I mumbled, scratching at my bruised hip bones.

"Maybe you could visit Carlisle, then," Jacob suggested nonchalantly. "Maybe if he gave you some answers, you'd understand your impulses and instincts better. It could help you fight James."

I swallowed loudly. "I–I can't, Jacob. It's too much still. It still...it still hurts." My eyes welled up with fake tears again. You'd think the sensation would disappear after five years of not having tear ducts, but apparently not.

"You need to beat this, Bella," Jacob murmured, still looking at the computer. "If you're not ready to face Carlisle now, in your weakest state, you'll never be able to face him. He's the icing on your cake, Bells. You need him more than James to enjoy life."

I sniffed and considered this. Carlisle would give me answers, but James would give me satisfaction. Carlisle would make me realize what I actually was, but James would make me feel complete. Carlisle would probably be more scared of me than I was of him and James would probably laugh at my attempts to hurt him. Carlisle wouldn't kill me, but James would.

I needed answers before satisfaction. And I needed to leave Edward one final goodbye message.

I'd never realized how suicidal all of this was. I truly was on my way to eternal satisfaction. Whether I went to Heaven or Hell, it didn't matter. I'd die trying and that would make me happy.

I nodded and stood up.

"Where's Carlisle?"

Jacob's head snapped to me. He grinned and started clacking away on his computer.

I was packed and ready to go when I found something in my boot that I had worn in Italy. Edward's cell phone. I had forgotten all about it.

I turned the thin blue phone on and started invading Edward's privacy, starting with any missed alerts. He didn't have any from FBI agents, just his brother, Emmett, and someone named Jasper. They were both trivial texts about weddings and fiancé's, so I didn't ponder on them. I went to call history after this. There were only two outgoing calls. One to Emmett and one to his mom and dad's home. My fingers tingled as I considered phoning Carlisle. I could get answers over the phone, couldn't I?

No, no, I needed to _see_ Carlisle. This had to be in person.

I went to incoming calls and groaned. Apparently Edward couldn't afford caller I.D. There were eleven unknown callers. _Thanks for all the help, Cullen,_ I grumbled mentally.

There were no missed calls. This made me scowl. Weren't people worried about where Edward was, or at least where his cell phone was now? I guess Edward had only been held hostage for four days, and he probably thought he'd lost his cell phone in Italy.

I flipped through his very small contact list that consisted of work numbers, his parent's numbers, his own home phone number, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, and...Tanya. Why'd he still have her in his phone? They'd been over for six months already.

Could he still be in love with her? I guess I'd never considered it as a possibility before. I'd always assumed once the person was gone, so were the feelings. But I knew that was a lie now. The feelings just turn to pain, but you still love the person.

I was almost mad at him. How dare he play with me like that when he's still in love with her! That was inconsiderate and cocky and...probably not true. Edward wouldn't do something like that.

I flipped back up to Edward's home number. It would be around seven a.m. in Washington right now; he should still be at home. My finger hovered over the talk button. I took a deep breath and pressed it and put his phone to my ear.

He picked up on the second right.

"Hello, Edward Cullen speaking."

I held my breath.

"Hello? Who is this?"

A sob escaped my throat.

"Bella?"

I hung up after that. I thought maybe hearing his voice would make the pain go away, but it didn't. It made it a million times worse.

I quickly snapped the phone in half so Edward couldn't phone me back or get someone to track me. I really needed to finish this alone, just how I had started it.

I took a nice long shower and put on normal clothes for once. I'd spent a lot of time with Renee, mostly talking about Edward leaving. Sure, she didn't know the truth, but she knew that I was hurt and she could help. I told her I didn't have any clothes that didn't remind me of him, so she gave me some of hers.

Right now, I was just wearing a satin green shirt and a pair of dark wash jeans. Something that the old me would wear if she were flying to meet her love's parents for the first and last time.

I walked into the kitchen and ate a granola bar. They were my addiction right now, and I wanted to enjoy my last meal.

"Hey, Bella," Jacob greeted quietly when he walked into the kitchen holding some papers. "Here's everything you'll need for now. Phone me for anything else."

I nodded slowly, still chewing my last bite of my granola bar. I grabbed the papers and set them on the table.

"Where do I leave?" I asked quietly, my previously flat voice warming up with determination as I got closer and closer to my maker.

"I have to take you to the airport right now," Jacob murmured. I think he knew he'd never see me again. He looked sad.

"Okay," I mumbled with a grim nod. "Let's go then."

We grabbed my bags and information and packed it into the truck. I said a silent goodbye to my sort of home base. It would be the only place I considered home.

We drove to the airport and I said goodbye to the dry air and land of Arizona one last time. I think I'll miss being in the sun...

We silently moved through the airport to my boarding area. The sense of goodbye was definitely thick between Jacob and I. We just sort of...knew that this was it. The obstacle that we couldn't beat. I was thankful that I worked alone. At least Jacob wouldn't be killed because of me.

I hesitated before getting in line to board. I couldn't just leave without saying anything at all.

I turned to Jacob and threw my arms around his waist, squeezing him tightly. He squeezed me back, his body begging me to never let go.

We pulled away and looked at each other.

"Goodbye, Jacob," I murmured. "Take care of Renee and Charlie and Seth for me, 'kay?"

"This is the end," Jacob mumbled to himself, shaking his head.

"And give Mer to Leah," I added. "Don't let her rot to death in Chicago."

Jacob kept shaking his head.

"Give all my money to my parents and yourself."

"No."

I groaned. "Come on, Jacob. I _need_ you to do this for me if...if things end badly."

"They won't," Jacob tried to say confidently. But his voice oozed with panic.

I grabbed his hand one last time, squeezing it and smiling sadly before heading onto the plane and leaving my old life behind.

I sat down and began looking through Carlisle Cullen's information.

He was currently residing in Forks, Washington with his wife, Esme Cullen. He worked at Forks General Hospital as a general practitioner. He lived in Washington's biggest mansion near the mountains.

That's all I needed to know. I didn't want to know about his perfect sons or how great of a doctor he was. This was already hard on my nerves and my heart, for Christ's sake.

The plane landed in Seattle and then I boarded the smaller plane that took us to Port Angeles. I glanced at the itinerary Jacob had made for me. I had a rental for once instead of a usually greasy driver. It was a decent car, too. A blue Audi. I could have my last bit of fun with that.

I followed the road signs to Forks rather quickly. Thank God the cops weren't on my side of the freeway; I pushed ninety the whole way to the small town.

I slowed down as my tires splashed in the slushy puddles on Railroad Avenue in Forks.

I pulled into a small cafe for directions.

What would be a good lie? I could pretend to be Aro's daughter. I doubt anyone knew who Aro was. That could be so realistic it was unbearable.

I put the car in park and took the keys out before getting out. I auto-locked the car and walked into the small diner. Every head snapped towards me. I felt sort of unwelcome in their company.

They eventually went back to their own conversations, brushing the alien appearance off pretty easily.

I sat down on a stool and cleared my throat. The waitress walked over to me with a smile.

"What can I do for ya, darlin'?" she asked, holding the coffee pot in one hand the other hand on her hip.

"I'm looking for the Cullen place," I replied, already slipping into stealth-mode. "You see, Carlisle and Esme are my aunt and uncle, but I've never been here to visit by myself before, and I have no idea where to go."

The waitress's smile broadened. "I'll write it out the directions for you." She clicked her pen, set the pot down, and began scribbling on an order form.

Ten minutes later, I had a very detailed map of how to get to the Cullen homestead and a free banana nut muffin. I hopped back in the Audi and started following Mandy's directions.

It only took about twenty minutes to get to the farm in the mountains. There was an extremely long driveway right off the highway and I knew I was at the right place. I drove down it and laid eyes on the most beautiful house and scene in the world.

The house was white with a million large windows and you could only see the mountains vaguely through the downpour. It literally took my breath away. Carlisle had taste.

I parked in the gravel driveway and ran onto the porch under the protection of the roof. I was breathing heavily and kind of freaking out. I was literally about to meet one of my makers.

I raised a shaking hand to the white door and knocked timidly, hoping secretly that no one was home.

A woman with a warm smile and barely any gray hair opened the door.

"Hello," she greeted, letting me into her house. "I'm Esme Cullen, and you are?"

"Bella," I answered stiffly, feeling uncomfortable with her openness. "Bella Swan."

Her eyes widened in fear.

"C-Carlisle!" she called, her voice shaking. "Come here, please!"

I huffed. I wasn't going to _hurt_ anyone. I just wanted to talk. Couldn't she tell?

"Hello, Bella," a clear voice greeted. It sounded like a wiser Edward and that made a lump rise in my throat.

"Carlisle," I replied in a thick voice.

I finally looked up at my possible solution. Thank God he didn't have bronze hair, or I probably would have burst into tearless sobs.

He had blonde streaked with white hair and Edward's bone structure, or rather, Edward had _his_ bone structure. He had icy blue eyes that looked fearful right now. He was wearing a light blue button-down shirt and creamy corduroy pants with a brown belt. He wrapped a protective arm around his wife and I knew I could have never killed this man. He was the father I never really had.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," I murmured, slipping my dirty flats off. "I need answers."

I heard Carlisle let out a sigh of relief. Wow, did he ever trust easily. It would be too easy to kill a man like him.

"Follow me," Carlisle commanded softly, motioning towards the stairs.

"Carlisle–" Esme pleaded.

Carlisle shook his head. "It'll be fine, Esme. Look at her, she's hurting somewhere."

My eyes widened in surprise. How did he know that? Surely I wasn't that easily read.

"Come, Bella," Carlisle murmured, beginning to climb the grand staircase.

I followed him into a large study full of books and papers. He sat down behind the desk and I sat down in front. I felt like I was back in high school in the principal's office, as usual.

Carlisle folded his hands over his desktop calendar. I almost expected him to say, "What did you do this time, Swan?"

"What do you want to know?" he asked softly, never looking me directly in the eyes. He felt guilty.

"Everything you know about me and James," I answered automatically. "I don't need our life stories though, just anything to do with Project R."

Carlisle nodded and picked up a pair of glasses before studying me carefully.

"James started Project R about a year before we decided on all of our specimens. He was the FBI's top agent in international affairs and he felt like no one was good enough, save himself, to take care of the foreign spies. He proposed this idea to a small team of elites first, including me. I was the surgeon, Aro Basso was the physical trainer, Victoria Tompkins was the record keeper and recruiter, and James would take care of everything in between.

"We all thought it would be a good idea. The government needed better international spies. We were seriously lacking. James proposed that we choose potential spies and alter their physical make-up, with their permission, to empower them more. The FBI agreed to fund our project, along with a few sponsors that were interested in the idea.

"Victoria brought in seventeen males that knew what they were getting into. James said he was going to bring in the eighteenth person. He showed up six months after I finished the last surgery with you in tow."

Carlisle cleared his throat and glanced away from me.

"Nothing you say can possibly destroy me anymore than I already am," I assured him in a dead voice.

He nodded to himself and continued. "We put you under and James spoke to me. He wanted to alter your mind frame as well. I didn't think it was ethical, but he assured me that you approved of the idea."

I gritted my teeth, but held back my outrage. I was definitely going to go down swinging now.

"He told me what to alter, and eighteen hours later, I was done. I put you into a medicine-induced coma for three weeks so your brain would heal quicker. James wanted you to train with the others.

"James urged me to stay for training so I could witness the so-called medical miracles I had performed on his candidates, specifically you.

"I was disgusted with what I had done. You were all monsters." He glanced at me, his face full of dear.

"I agree completely," I murmured dully. "Why do you think I ran?"

Carlisle smiled crookedly and I had to look away. My heart was pumping me full of acid. It hurt so damn much to be around someone like Edward.

"Ah, yes," he replied somewhat cheerfully. "The only escapee. James never expected you to run. That's why you got away. Everyone else was on constant watch, but he trusted you to never wander away from him. I guess you trusted your instincts more than you trusted James. That's probably the smartest decision you've ever made. Especially since James enjoyed torturing you more than any of the others."

I winced, looking at the fading scars on my bare arms from the chains, whips, cement...anything that could leave a mark, really.

"I left after that," Carlisle continued. "I disassociated myself with the project and told the FBI to pull its funding too. I never thought the FBI would take them back in. But, Emmett's predecessor, Harold Banner, decided it'd be for the best. It turned into an asset for Emmett and Edward, my sons, but you probably already know of them."

_So much better than you'll ever know, dear Carlisle._

"They were able to keep a close watch on your...activities. You are infamous amongst government agents, Bella. _Everyone_ knows your name and story. It's the story Emmett tells the rookies when he wants to scare them during training. You are every agent's darkest fantasy and greatest fear."

It was silent in the study. I had turned myself into a horror story. The killer female agent that came to you in a sexy outfit. Certain and sudden death.

I sighed. "Do you...know if I could ever be normal again?"

Carlisle looked at my grimly. "Bella, the surgery I performed was very complicated...and permanent. I'm so sorry."

My throat closed and I stared at the carpet. Everything I had ever hoped and worked for was useless, pointless, hopeless.

"Thank – thank you," I mumbled, standing up and turning leave. "You don't have to worry about me anymore. Tell Emmett that the scary story is going to be a myth soon."

Carlisle followed me. "Are you stopping the killing spree, Bella? Or are you–"

"I'm stopping the killing spree, I guess," I murmured with a sad, twisted smile. "In a way."

I walked out of the study and down the stairs.

I cleared my throat. Esme turned around, still scared of me.

"May I use the washroom before I leave?" I asked innocently.

"Of – of course," she stammered, pointing to a door on my left.

I entered it and locked the door behind me. I sat down on the toilet and grabbed my pen, paper, and envelope that I'd put in my pocket before I got out of the car.

"Edward," I began writing in my messy cursive writing.

_Don't expect me on your doorstep. I'm sorry I couldn't live a normal life without meeting my maker._

_I met your parents. They're very nice; even though I'm pretty sure your mom's devising some plan to escape. You know I would never hurt them, and your dad knows that, too._

_He told me everything, Edward. I know what I am and what I'll always be. I don't know why I hoped that I could magically turn back into who I was before, but it was in my head. Now I know that I always be crazy._

_I'm going to see James tomorrow. Its suicide, I'm sure, but I don't care. You were the only thing I was looking forward to anyway._

_I'll love you until the end. Don't forget that._

_Forever crazy,_

_Isabella Marie Swan_

I smiled with satisfaction at my letter. It was light, but it still conveyed my message pretty well. I sealed the envelope and wrote the addresses on the front.

I walked out of the bathroom to see Carlisle and Esme waiting for me. Esme still looked uneasy, but Carlisle looked sad for me.

"Goodbye, Bella Swan," Carlisle murmured. "Thank you."

"Thank you for...everything, Carlisle," I replied softly. "Have a wonderful life."

The warm, sad smile became more pronounced and I left the house, soon driving down the driveway and back onto the highway. I quickly stopped in at the post office to send the letter and then I left to meet death.

* * *

**Okay, just a head's up to my fanfic fans: I WILL NOT BE ON MUCH FOR A WHILE. My life is sort of crazy, and as many of you know, the real world is **_**much**_** more important than fanfic life, even though this is less stressful. I'm not on hiatus, I'll still be writing, it'll just be much slower than usual. You don't need details; you just need to know that I might not post for a while. It could be anywhere for a week to three weeks though. I'm not sure yet. **

**Before you say Bella shouldn't be so dramatic (or I shouldn't write so dramatically), remember her feelings are always intense. She doesn't feel vague about anything. She always feels the extremities. **

**Haha, I seriously considered throwing Edward in right after Carlisle says, "...You are every government's agent's darkest fantasy and greatest fear." How wicked would it have been to have Edward come in and be all, "It's true, Bella. You're my greatest fear, but I want you more than I've ever wanted anything. Now kiss me, you psycho bitch." Haha, oh boy. Aren't ya just a sucker for happy endings?**

**And the letter. Oh, boy, the letter. I had trouble making it NON-melodramatic! I just couldn't make Bella simmer down during this chapter! So, sorry about being so damn melodramatic.**

**Yeah, I messed up a lot, but oh well. Everything can't be perfect in my own world, now can it?**

**Songs:  
Black Balloon - The Goo Goo Dolls  
Reason: Bella thinking about Edward**

**Love Remains the Same - Gavin Rossdale  
Reason: Bella still loves Edward.**

**Broken - Lifehouse  
Reason: Bella thinking about dying and never seeing Edward again.**

**Mmkay, that's it, that's all! Ha, 'cept for the wager! I wanna make it to 250 before I post again. That would be, like, amazing, readers. It'd make me smile when I really don't feel like smiling! Make a girl happy, pwease? (That would mean I need 17 people to review. That's not that much, now is it? He he he...)**

**Review, review, review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Not really following my schedule for writing, but I really wanna finish Seducing Revenge now that I'm almost done it. I've also started writing a new fanfic. I'll start posting that after SR is done! Enjoy!**

* * *

Edward's PoV

"Don't bother," I muttered in defeat, turning away from Bella and heading towards the house.

I needed to get the fuck out of here now. Hell, she gave me permission to leave! It's legit. Fuck her. I can do whatever the hell I want.

I didn't have much to take with me. Just my clothes and shoes. I got my shit together and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked sick. Well, I sort of felt sick, too.

I didn't understand how I could get so emotionally and physically attached to a person in less than a week. It was the most ridiculous and powerful sensation I've ever felt in my life. It was like my emotional well-being focussed on her. If she hurt, I hurt. If she was happy, I was happy. If she felt like having sex, so did I.

And, now that I was away from her, I felt...empty. It's cliché and it sounds kind of girly, but I didn't know how else to describe it. I was in a sort of numb state, searching for my emotional centre. It's too bad I'll never see her again.

I searched my pockets for my cell phone to call the bureau to get me back to Washington. I couldn't find it. It must have fallen out while we were in Italy...

I picked up Jacob's home phone and dialled Emmett's cell phone number. Hopefully I wasn't interrupting anything between him and Rosalie.

"Hello?" he answered in a groggy voice. He must have been sleeping.

"Hey, Em," I greeted gently. "Sorry to wake you, man, but I need some strings pulled. I don't have my credit cards or cheques or anything with me, and I need to get back to Washington as soon as I can."

"Where the fuck are you?" he asked, his voice a little clearer.

"Phoenix," I mumbled.

"What?" Emmett practically yelled.

"Phoenix!" I answered loudly, angrily even. "I'm in Phoenix, Arizona."

"Why?" Emmett asked, dumbfounded.

"I thought I had something on Bella Swan, but I was seriously mistaken," I answered flatly, giving two meanings. One was the truth and one was a lie.

"Uh, okay," Emmett replied incredulously. "Just go to the airport and say you're from the FBI. I'll make the connections."

"Thanks, bro," I murmured gratefully. "See you in the morning then."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Emmett grumbled before hanging up the phone.

I phoned a taxi and got to the airport and on a plane back to where I belonged.

--

Two weeks passed, and I sort of got back into my old routine. Emmett assigned me to Bella's case, so I had a lot of "research" to do. I did basically nothing because although she hurt me considerably, I still didn't have the heart to put her in jail, or worse, have James's boys take her out.

So, I sat in front of my computer at home and looked up everything about Bella. I knew everything about her rocky high school career now. I knew bits and pieces of the last five years of her life, but not enough to be satisfied. I was booking an appointment with James to talk about Project R when he got back from Russia within the next couple of days. James was blunt; he'd give me straight answers.

The only thing I was worried about was my inability to control my anger. He hurt and used Bella, and I hated him for it. For the past two and a half weeks, I dreamt about killing him in very gruesome and torturous ways.

But, I needed to do this. I needed to know exactly what he did to Bella. He was the only one left that would give me answers. I knew my dad would refuse to say anything to me about it; he still hated himself because of it.

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I never started doing anything until after ten in the morning. Right now it was seven.

I groaned and rolled towards my phone. I took a big gulp of water and then answered.

"Hello, Edward Cullen speaking."

There was silence on the other end.

I scowled and said, "Hello? Who is this?"

A strangled sob came through the line. I'd recognize that sob anywhere.

"Bella?" I asked hopefully. Maybe she had reconsidered.

She hung up after that. The hope that had been growing in my heart died quickly. I thought I would be able to handle talking to her, but apparently not. It hurt quite a bit more than it did before.

I laid back down and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Bella. Bella's smile, Bella's cocky attitude, Bella's uneven lips, Bella's determination, Bella's passion, Bella's love, Bella's potential...

It thought about her for three straight hours. And all that I concluded from this long, intense thinking session was that I could live without her, but I didn't _want_ to. The final consensus was that I was an idiot when I said I could potentially love her in the future. I _already_ loved her. My mind was just slow at processing it.

Although it was a very good epiphany to have, it didn't help much. It actually sort of made it a lot worse, to be honest. The girl I loved would hate my guts if I ever saw her again, I'm sure. And that sucked.

Yeah, definitely an awesome epiphany.

I crawled out of bed and shaved for the first time since I had been held hostage. Then I showered and got back to "work."

I was looking up Bella's Project R profile when the phone rang. I looked at the clock. Jesus, it was already two in the afternoon. I'd spent three hours on the computer already.

"Hello, Edward Cullen speaking," I answered, looking at my computer screen.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen, it's Angela Weber, Mr. McCarthy's secretary," the woman on the other end answered. "Mr. McCarthy will be available tomorrow at two-thirty for your appointment if that works for you."

My face sobered into a grim expression. "That will be fine, Miss Weber. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Cullen," replied before hanging up.

I let out a breath and put my head in my hands after hanging up the phone.

I looked back up at the profile. There wasn't much on there. Just a head shot of Bella looking very serious, the alterations made to her body, but not her mind, the names of her trainers, and that she was rogue now. No strengths or weakness, not even a date of birth. It was completely worthless.

I didn't know where else to search for information on Bella. I knew as much as I could from the internet and the FBI database. I had to go with word of mouth now.

--

My nails were digging into my thighs as I waited for two-thirty in James's office.

This was it. I was finally going to figure this out. Well, some of it at least.

The door opened and my head snapped up. A tall guy with short blonde hair and black suit walked in.

He smiled. "You must be the younger Cullen. I'm James McCarthy, head of Project R."

I gave him a forced smile. "Hello, I'm _Edward_ Cullen, top international affairs agent."

James smirked and shook my hand quickly before sitting down in his desk.

"What are you here for, Cullen?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Project R," I replied. "I'm heading the Redbird case now, and I need to know what her alterations, training, strengths, and weaknesses are."

James nodded his head, looking down at his desk.

"Well, your father gave her a long surgery back in Phoenix. She mostly had brain alterations, but we also took care of her tears ducts, we enhanced her muscle mass, and we inject her bones with an advanced hardening antiserum. All of her 'physical enhancements' are just a trick of the mind. She's stronger than she was before, but barely. She just _thinks_ she's super strong."

"So you just told her she had medical strength, and she believed, so she achieved?" I asked, surprised. I would have never guessed it.

James shook his head with a chuckle. "No, it was a bit different than that. We didn't tell her right out of surgery that she was inhumanly strong. The two week training course made her see that.

"The first week is mostly theory. We told them about the destruction foreigners were doing, had different military leaders tell them horror stories, basically anything to get them to despise most foreign countries.

"The second week was physical training. We didn't need to condition them much since we enhanced their muscles and bones already, but we still made them run four miles every morning before their sessions. Then we brought in convicts on death row for them to practice on. They killed at least ten men and women within the three hours session. Then we put them through a torture process."

"Torture?" I asked, my fingernails digging into my thighs again. I wasn't going to like this.

James rolled his eyes. "That's what they call it now, but I think it was more of a mental conditioning drill. We put them through many different kinds of pain, most of which would kill you and me, to show them that they were stronger than any other human being. After the week, they believed they were indestructible.

"With Bella, or Redbird, we had to do very intense torture sessions. She was mentally stronger than any other person there. She'd already endured minor torture before Project R, so she didn't respond as loudly to the torture we used on the boys. I tried a million different things, whips, chains, ropes, beatings. She still wouldn't respond."

By this time, I was shaking with anger. Luckily James wasn't paying attention to me. I was sure my anger was clear on my face.

"Finally I took matters into my own hands. I knew Bella's mind and body _very_ well already, and I knew what would set her off. One of her greatest fears is dying because of drowning, so I locked her in a glass container of water for twenty minutes while I watched. She pounded on the glass so hard it started cracking. I finally got her to respond to my torture. After five minutes, she realized her body wasn't faltering. She never passed out once in twenty minutes.

"Another fear of hers is losing appendages, so I hired someone to chain her down and cut off her fingers. We sewed them back on after and they worked perfectly fine. She was starting to realize her body's strength.

"I think the most evil thing I did to her though was putting her into a building that was being demolished. She lived, obviously, but just barely. That was torture for the both of us. She loved me still, after everything I did to her, and I had strong feelings for her as well. But, more than that, she was Project R's most prized possession. She was easily our strongest and smartest agent.

"Unfortunately, she was corrupted. Her mindset began to corrode during training. She ran within hours of being done training. It was Project R's, and my own, greatest loss."

I was so angry I couldn't talk. That was a blessing in my eyes. If I had any control, I'd be strangling James already. I couldn't even comprehend his logic. Put them through torture and they'll be strong. That was so beyond twisted and wrong. My poor, poor Bella. She was so broken and she didn't even acknowledge it.

"As for strengths and weaknesses, I'm not sure. She was strong in all areas when she left, but I'm sure she's developed strengths and weaknesses since then."

I stood up abruptly. "Thank you, Mr. McCarthy. I'm sure this will help up greatly." I was surprised I had even control to use a normal tone with this sick bastard.

"You're welcome, Cullen," James replied, shaking my hand again. "Good luck. You definitely have your work cut out for you."

I nodded and turned towards the door.

"Cullen?" James said. I paused by the door, my hand already on the doorknob. "If you can catch her without killing her, I'd appreciate it. I have unfinished business with her."

I nodded and left the building as quickly as I could.

* * *

**I'm gunna kill James myself. Don't be surprised if the next chapter just says, "And Mary came from Saskatchewan and slit James's throat with a swather blade. Then end. P.S. Edward and Bella lived happily ever after." (A swather is a kind of farm equipment. You can Google it.)**

**I made up Bella's physical advancements. I don't **_**think**_** you can make people's bones harder within eighteen hours, or even change a person's muscle mass in surgery, and I know for sure you can give a person brain surgery to make you stronger or react to caffeine in a violent way. But, seeing as this is fiction, and more importantly, **_**my**_** fiction, I can do whatever I want, and that's what happened to Bella. **

**Ah, the torture processes. They kind of made me want to throw up my mom's homemade pizza. That would have sucked. Imagine watching someone chop off your fingers? Or having someone watch you drown? Or being thrown in a building that was being blown up? Fuck-ing scar-y. And, James, that dink. He only had "strong feelings" for her. Gah! Bella loved him! **_**Ass**_**hole. **

**Songs:  
****Lonely for Here – Jack's Mannequin  
****All That I've Got – The Used**

**Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey-o. It's a stripping chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Bella's PoV

This was it. It's the beginning of the end. I was in Washington, D.C. with answers and the strongest desire to kill someone I'd ever felt. I might not succeed, but that's okay.

I had a suitcase full of nothing but a wad of cash, Edward's cell phone, and my black stilettos. My final act was going to be done in stripper's attire. Not exactly what I want to die in, but it's the only ticket there.

James always went to a strip club called The Lair. He owned it, of course. It was what he did every Saturday night. He went out with old FBI friends and always picked one so-called lucky girl to go back to his large apartment.

Hopefully I was the lucky girl tonight. I wanted to do this once, and only once.

The odds were in my favour. James was freakishly attracted to short girls with brown eyes and pale skin. I'd be wearing an auburn wig to make sure he was thrown off if he happened to recognize me.

It was already five-thirty and the show started at eight. There was a cab waiting for me. He went straight to The Lair without making any small talk.

I stood in front of the club. Wow. This was really it. I took a deep breath and walked in. I was wearing a pair of my mom's heels, a jean mini skirt, and a white t-shirt with my auburn wig. Hopefully I looked skanky enough for the manager.

I leaned against the bar with my suitcase in tow.

"You must be Raina," a Native man in a white suit with a black dress shirt said. "I'm Embry Call, the coordinator of the shows. You look _perfect_ for our little club. Follow me."

I followed Embry to the back of the building, into the dressing area. There were a few girls back here already.

"Girls, this is Raina Williams, our guest dancer for the night. She works at the most famous club in New York, Moulin Rouge," Embry introduced.

"Hey, Raina," the girls greeted in unison.

"Hi," I replied, waving nonchalantly.

"Come this way," Embry murmured, leading me into an independent dressing room with my name on it.

He shut the door behind us and immediately went to the closet. There were three outfits, each getting more and more revealing.

Embry handed me my first outfit, a short, purple corset that landed just above my belly button, a black thong, and a pair of thigh-high fishnets.

I started changing and Embry began debriefing me.

"Tonight's theme is Dark Horse, in honour of Nickelback's new CD. Chad Kroeger is coming and Mr. McCarthy is recognizing that," Embry explained. "Your first song is _Shakin' Hands_. You'll be on the middle stage and there will be two other girls on the stages on either side of you. Your second song is _Burn it to the Ground_, and this will include everyone on the main stage. Your finale is also the finale for the night. You will have the main stage and the audience's attention to yourself, and then song is _Something in Your Mouth._"

"Okay, sounds good," I murmured, fixing my corset. "Can you do me up, please?"

I turned around and Embry laced my corset up tightly, making my cleavage very noticeable.

"I have to talk to Mr. McCarthy quickly," Embry announced, heading out the door. "I'll come to get you when it's time."

I nodded and began pulling up my fishnets. The door closed and I sat down in my chair to do up my six-inch heels.

This was all sort of surreal, even though I planned this night five years ago. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I was really going to face James.

I sat in my chair and thought about everything. My past, my parents, my half-brother, Jacob, Project R, training, James, killing people, Carlisle, emotions, fears, adrenaline, and, of course, Edward.

"We're ready for you," Embry announced, poking his head in my room.

I nodded with grim determination, leaving all those thoughts behind me to seduce my killer.

* * *

Edward's PoV

"Come on, Edward," Emmett begged me. "It's my bachelor party! You have to come!"

"Fine," I answered, letting him drag me into The Lair. "But I'm not staying out all night."

"I'll be damned if you're not!" Emmett yelled as we entered the main show room.

We sat down at a large table with all of Emmett's groomsmen and friends from work. They were already rip-roarin' drunk.

A pretty girl in nothing but a bra, thong, and heels handed us two trays of whiskey shots and then took our drink orders. I decided to stick with whiskey.

"Gentlemen, have your wallets ready, because we're about to start our show!" the announcer boomed. The lights dimmed. "Our first dance of our Dark Horse night is called _Shakin' Hands_, starring our guest dancer, Raina Williams!"

I choked on the shot I had just thrown back. It couldn't be a coincidence. It just couldn't be.

A short red head with pale skin came out in a purple corset, black thong, fishnets, and heels. She gave a tantalizing smirk, and I knew it was _her._

She danced to the Nickelback song and I was transfixed. It felt like two years rather than two weeks since I last saw her. She was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

Her movements reeked of sexiness and wads of cash were being thrown at her. She smiled as she bent down, exposing her perfect ass to everyone. Emmett whistled and I glared at him.

"What?" he asked, confused. "She's fucking _hot._"

I covered it up quickly by saying, "You're _engaged_, Em."

He shrugged and kept cheering for _my_ Bella.

I needed to stop that. I was getting too protective of something I didn't own.

The song ended and Bella left the stage, swaying her hips and looking over her shoulder at the crowd. She blew us all a kiss before disappearing.

I started drinking more and more, getting fairly drunk, waiting for Bella to come out again.

Somewhere between my sixth and seventh drink, James showed up at the table next to us. He nodded at Emmett and I with a smile, and Emmett and I waved back.

"Do ya think I could go to the dressing room of the red head?" I asked Emmett, motioning for another rye and coke.

Emmett burst out laughing. "My Edward wants to get laid by a stripper? Really?"

I nodded with a grin. I hadn't been this happy in, well, two weeks.

"You'd have to pay big money for it," Emmett warned me. "James likes his girls to be taken care of, and he thinks they deserve only the best."

"But that red head isn't his," I reminded him. "She's a guest dancer."

Emmett snorted. "Don't bother then. James usually takes those girls home for himself."

Then it dawned on me. Bella wasn't here for me, she was here for him. She wanted him to take her home. She was going to kill him tonight.

I slumped in my chair, the reality of it all crashing on me. She could _die_ tonight. I couldn't have her, but at least she would have still been alive. This was like suicide. James could break her in a second. He knows so much about her.

"Alright, gentlemen! Prepare yourselves, because all of The Lair's dancers and Raina Williams are coming out to 'burn it to the ground' tonight!" the announcer called.

The music started and Bella led the rest of the dancer's out onto the stage in a blue button-up men's dress shirt. She took the front, closest to the men with money.

She fell to her knees and threw her head around, making the hair on her head fly around. She was right in front of James, and I could see him staring at her.

She stood up and walked away, winking at him. She jumped up on the pole in the middle of the stage and swung around, showing off her long, beautiful legs.

Her ass was to the crowd and you could see practically everything. She was wearing a tiny yellow thong. Men started cheering and throwing money on the stage for her. She let the other stripper's take it while she continued to perform on the pole.

She stood up and urged the girl's to come back to her. They all came, hiding her. They pulled away and Bella was in nothing but the yellow thong. There were flames painted all over her torso, hiding her body from us, but it was still hard for me to control myself. I got hard as soon as she walked on the stage, for God's sake.

I was sure Bella would make a killing tonight just from this dance. Men were throwing cheques at her, not wanting the other girls to get the money. She could seduce anyone that she wanted to.

She moved to my table and started dancing. Her eyes locked with mine for a second and then she looked away.

I felt like I was going to burst soon. Not just in a sexual way, though. My heart was literally aching. I couldn't stand it. I had to talk to her, touch her, convince her to never leave me again.

I had to try.

* * *

Bella's PoV

Oh, God, he was here. How in the world did he get here? Why the fuck was he here?

I was hurting over him two hours before, but now I was mad. I could have been done this a lot sooner if it hadn't been for him. That bastard walked all over my heart and then he thinks he can just stare at me while I strip? Well, fuck him. I was going to get him back.

I had four people washing my body and reapplying make-up and fixing my hair. The adrenaline high was coursing through my body now. It felt good to be back.

James didn't recognize me. I knew it because of the way he looked at me. He wanted Raina, not Bella, and that was my ticket.

I stepped out of the little yellow thong and into another small black thong. They sprayed me with silver sparkles and then I pulled on a navy blue bra that clasped in the front so I could take it off easily.

"We're going to pierce your belly button for this number," Embry informed me, breezing into the room with a girl hold a bag of needles, probably. "Mr. McCarthy requested it."

"Of course," I replied with a smile. "Anything for Mr. McCarthy."

Embry chuckled as the girl set up. "He's a lucky man."

"That he is," I murmured, lying down.

The girl pierced my naval with a dark blue ring. It looked pretty decent actually.

I slipped on my heels again and waited for my last number. I smiled when I thought about what was going to happen after this. I was ready.

"Sir, you aren't allowed back here," the security guard warned in his deep voice. "Miss Williams specifically said no visitors."

"I'm not a God damn fan!" an all too familiar voice roared. "I know her personally. Raina! Get out here!"

I rolled my eyes and opened the door.

"He can come in, Jackson," I grumbled. "Get in here, you asshole."

Edward grinned stupidly and stumbled towards me. I moved out of the way and let him into my temporary dressing room.

"You only have ten minutes, Miss Williams," Jackson reminded me.

"This won't take long," I assured him with a smirk and a wink.

He chuckled as I closed the door. I turned around and Edward was right there.

"Don't do it, Bella," he begged, his hot, whiskey-laced breath hitting me hard. "He'll kill you."

"I know." I pushed him out of the way and moved towards my suitcase. I pulled out his cell phone and threw it to him. "Here's a present. Have a good life, Edward. Now get out."

"Bella, I love you," he blurted.

I smirked at him. "Too bad you didn't mention that two weeks ago, huh?" I stalked towards him. He sat down. I straddled him, feeling his erection press up against me. I laced my fingers through his hair. "You could have had all this."

I leaned in and he shut his eyes. His large, warm hands roamed onto my bare ass.

"I love you too, Edward," I whispered, almost touching his lips with my own. "And I always will. But I had to get over you."

"Bella," he moaned quietly. He pulled me tighter to his body. "Don't do this to me. Please."

I stood up abruptly. It hurt to leave him, but it was pain I could deal with.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I apologized genuinely. "I really am. I wish we could be together, but we can't."

"We can be together, though!" Edward assured me, standing u and lacing his fingers with mine. "Go home with me instead of him, Bella. Be with me."

I ripped my hands away. "Don't you dare talk to me like that, Edward Cullen. Get out. Now."

He grabbed me by the waist and crushed his lips to mine. For a second, I savoured this. The last kiss I'd ever want. But, I couldn't lead myself or him on anymore. I pushed him away.

"Don't," I growled. "You're done. Get out. _Now._" I pushed him towards the door. He looked pained. "Jackson! Take him back to his seat!"

The security guard barged into my room and took Edward out.

"I love you," he uttered fiercely as he got dragged away.

I slammed the door and sat down. I was breathing heavily. God damn Edward Cullen.

"Miss Williams?" Embry called from outside my dressing room. "Your finale starts soon."

I stood up and straightened myself out quickly before going out to put on a show one last time.

I sort of felt like a prisoner being lead to get hanged or put in the electric chair as Embry led me to the stage.

"Our night had come to an end!" Embry announced on the mike. "But, we have one special act left. Please welcome Miss Raina Williams one last time. Do you think she'd look cuter with something in her mouth?"

The crowd roared for me as I took the stage one last time. And I fully intended to make myself memorable.

I walked to the front of the stage with my hands on my hips, swaying my hips. I bent over and rolled my hips, and stood back up.

I jumped on the pole and spun around before getting a twenty dollar bill shoved down my g-string. I let the good looking business man feel my ass before I moved back to the middle of the stage.

I hopped on the pole again and hung upside down, holding myself up with my legs and my left arm. I waved at the crowd and fluttered my eyelashes.

I flipped over backwards, landing on my feet. I dropped to my knees and moved towards a burly guy with dark, curly hair and a pair of the cutest dimples I'd ever seen. I kissed him softly on the lips and pulled back with a smile as he put a hundred dollars down my cleavage.

I moved backwards slowly, shaking my ass and smirking at the boys around the stage.

I stood up slowly and snapped my g-string. Then I turned around and then did a belly dancing ass shake before turning back to the audience and rubbing my fingers together as I walked to the front again.

I threw my hair back and did a body roll. Then I bent my knees wide open, throwing my hair back again. I fell to my knees and shimmied. I hopped off the stage and grabbed the nearest guy, grinding myself up against him before shoving him back down. I hopped back on the stage and put my left forefinger in my mouth. I crossed my right leg over my left and gave them an innocent look. I smirked with my finger still in my mouth and kicked a guy's hand away from my thigh.

Then I stood up and walked back towards the main pole. I grabbed onto it with both hands and spun around so I was facing my audience. I slid down into another open crouch and slid my finger across my smiling lips and then as I stood up, I popped my left hip. I turned around and bent to touch the floor. I rolled back up and slid down the pole.

I stood up again and hooked my thumbs around the straps of my bra once I had turned around. I pulled my hands from my thighs, up over my abdomen, onto my breasts, and finally pulled my fingers into my hair. Then I threw my arm up, gesturing to the crowd to "Come on!" I walked back to my pole and spun around, exposing as much of my body as I could.

While I was still wrapped around the pole, I slapped my bare ass and then flipped upside down, putting my hands on the floor so I could do a back walk-over into a standing position. I turned to my audience and undid my bra, letting my breasts pop out of their restraint, and threw it out into the crowd.

I kept walking down the stage until I was teetering on the edge. You could barely hear the music over the crowd cheering.

I fell to my knees, arching my back and lacing my fingers through my hair. Then I danced on my knees, throwing my head around and feeling many different hands grabbing at me.

I had my right thumb between my teeth and my left hand still in my hair when I met James's eyes. I smirked at him and he motioned for me to come to him with his finger.

I did one last body roll with my finger in my mouth before hopping off the stage and stomping towards my predator.

I did a twirl and grabbed a shot from one of the waitresses, slapping her barely covered ass in thanks. I threw the shot back and then slammed t down on the nearest table. I pushed guys out of the way, my eyes and body only for him now. The spotlight fell on my almost naked body as I stalked towards James.

I kissed a random guy on the lips and nipped at another's guy's throat, still staring at him. I put my right thumb in my mouth again and my left hand on my hip as I climbed the stairs to where James was sitting.

I fell onto his lap and arched my back so I was closer to him, throwing my head back. He grabbed my hips and I started moving against him. He started biting my neck and collarbone while I gripped his hair and pulled him closer. I ripped his face away from my body and looked him in the eyes before putting my mouth on his. The song ended, the crowd gave me what I assumed to be a standing ovation, and James and I continued to make out. His tongue plunged deep into my mouth and his hands roamed all over my body, claiming his new territory.

"That concluded our show for the night, gentlemen!" Embry announced. "The bar will remain open for another hour, so stay and have a stiff one for your stiff one. Once again, thank you to Raina Williams for a new picture to jack off to! Goodnight, Washington!"

James pulled away. "Go get your stuff. I think it's time we leave for my apartment."

I smirked at him. "Oh, you think so, huh? You're lucky I'm horny, Mr. McCarthy."

He smiled back at me. He loved a girl that could tease him. "You're lucky I'm desperate, Ms. Williams."

I leaned into him, my mouth pressed against his ear. "You're lucky I'm flexible, Mr. McCarthy." Then I stood up and walked back to my dressing room to get ready to fight for my life.

I wasn't even scared to face death anymore. I _wanted_ it.

* * *

**So, I was sort of glad that Bella got mad at Edward, but it was _so_ at the wrong time! **

**The next chapter is my favourite chapter. Well, not in a wow-it's-so-wonderful way, but just in the way I actually got a decent chapter out what I had to write. It's already written, and I think I'll be posting it on Wednesday-ish.**

**Three more chapters and an epilogue, and then buh-bye Seducing Revenge. :'( Anyone else sad it's almost over?**

**Y'know what'd be cool? 300 reviews. That'd make my day. 'Cause, yeah, I'm a new author, and I'd love to set a personal best for myself with this story. Just sayin'....**

**Songs:**

**I'm Ready – Jack's Mannequin  
Rescued – Jack's Mannequin  
Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts  
Something in Your Mouth – Nickelback  
Burn it to the Ground – Nickelback  
Shakin' Hands - Nickelback**

**Don't forget to review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**So we didn't quite reach 300, but that's okay. We can reach it this time! (:**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Bella

When I had changed back into the clothes I wore here, I said a final goodbye to Embry and then followed James to his limo.

As soon as the car took off, we were making out. James's hands roamed my body and I forced my hands to grip his shirt in my fists to make it seem like I wanted him.

I could taste the booze on his breath. Just barely, though. He wasn't drunk, but he was slightly under the influence. That could be used to my advantage.

The limo stopped and James groaned, pushing me away.

"Come on, vixen," he murmured, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the apartment building.

When we got in the elevator, he pulled me underneath the camera and cornered me, smirking.

"Are you intimidated?" he whispered against my neck, his hands on either side of my body.

"No," I answered confidently. "But you should be intimidated by me."

James chuckled. "Oh really?"

I nodded, swallowing loudly. "I know a few tricks of the trade that will make you squirm."

James met my eyes. His dull blue eyes danced with amusement.

The elevator dinged and he scooped me up in his arms, causing me to squeal and giggle. He unlocked the door to his apartment and kicked it open, carrying me across the threshold.

He nipped at my neck as he kicked the door shut again. I tugged at his hair as my head fell back to give James more skin to devour.

He sat me on the counter and forced my legs apart with his body. He pulled my t-shirt over my head, leaving me in my nude bra.

He licked the valley between my breasts up to my collarbone and I wrapped my legs around him, locking my ankles.

His hands rode up my thighs and underneath my skirt. He pressed his thumbs over my hips and began tugging at my thong.

I couldn't have sex with him, I just couldn't.

"How about we have a few drinks before we dive right into things?" I gasped between pants.

James growled against my throat.

"I'll leave my shirt off," I offered, my hips swivelling against his stomach.

"Fine," James muttered, pushing himself away from the counter. "Beer okay?"

"Yeah," I replied, shifting slightly.

He cracked two beers and handed me one. I took a big gulp.

"You're a bit familiar," James murmured, his eyes narrowing as he looked me over. "I've seen you somewhere before..."

I shrugged nonchalantly, although my heartbeat picked up. "I work at the most famous strip club in North America, a lot of men know me."

James seemed satisfied with the answer. He took a drink of his beer.

"How'd you get The Lair?" I asked, honestly curious.

"Bought it," he answered, leaning against the counter. "I came into a lot of cash, and I'd always considered owning a strip club, so I just did it."

I nodded. "Living the dream, huh?"

He grinned at me. "Every bachelor's dream, yeah."

I finished my beer and hopped off the counter.

"Bathroom?" I asked.

James pointed to a door directly behind me.

"I'll be right back," I murmured seductively. "Then we can pick up where we left off."

I turned around and James slapped my ass lightly. I looked at him over my shoulder with my best sexy grin, and then entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I seemed calm enough. I slipped my mini skirt and heels off, leaving them by the huge Jacuzzi tub. Then I pulled my wig off and left it on the counter. I pulled out my bun and bobby pins, letting my hair hang in loose curls.

This was it. It was game over.

I touched my reflection with a wistful smile.

"Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned," I murmured to my mirror image.

Then I walked out into the apartment.

"I'm in the bedroom!" James called.

I followed his voice through the living room and into an open door. The lights were off and James was already in bed.

I crawled on top of him and straddled his erection.

I leaned into him. "I've missed this."

"What do you mean?"

I blew lightly in his ear. "Having a few seconds of control before you throw me onto the bed and pound into me."

"We never..." James stopped, thinking. "Bella?"

I smiled against his cheek. "The one and only."

He started laughing, his hands still running all over my body.

"I can't believe it," he murmured. "I didn't think you'd have the guts to even look for me, and here you are."

I sat up, smiling. "Too bad we're not on better terms, huh? This could have been just like old times."

He ran his fingers over my thong. "It still could be like old times, if you want it to be. You've gotten better looking, and I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't turned on right now."

"What a shame," I sighed, getting off the bed and turning on the light. "If you weren't such a bastard, I might take you up on that offer."

James laughed dryly. "You've still got a mouth on you, Bella. You never knew when to keep it shut."

I smirked, crossing my arms. "And you're still a cocky son of a bitch. You never know when to give up."

"I always win," James replied smugly, sitting up. "The only thing I ever lost was you and now I have you again."

"Well, you'll be sad to know that I plan on leaving here one way or the other," I answered coolly, raising an eyebrow.

"Fuck," James laughed. "There's only one exit, Bella. And it's a painful one."

"Pain I can handle," I reminded him. "I've been close to death before."

"Right, right," James murmured, nodding. "And it was me that almost killed you last time. I can do it again, Bella. You think you're strong, but it's all a hoax. Who knew humans could be stupid enough to believe they have super human strength?"

This was news. My brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

James laughed, standing up. "We told you that we gave you your strength and you believed it. We didn't do _anything_ to you, Bella. It's all in your head."

I suddenly felt all of my self-confidence drain from my body. I wasn't strong?

He walked closer to me. "You're still as clueless as you were before the surgery, Bella. You're still a stupid bitch that'll believe anything she hears from the guy she's fucking."

I looked at him, horrified.

He chuckled sarcastically. Then he backhanded me across the cheek, making me sway on the spot. Tears were supposed to spring to my eyes, but they never came.

"You're stronger than you were five years ago, Bella, I'll give you that," James said, walking around me. "But I guess you've been practicing, haven't you?" He gripped my hair tightly, forcing me to look at him. He got right in my face. "You nearly ruined me, you little whore." He threw me to the ground.

I felt weak. I stood up slowly, trying to remember how I fought Edward three weeks ago.

He walked towards me again. I stood my ground, looking him in the eyes.

"I should have gone after you as soon as you killed my first scientist," he continued. "It would have so easy. You left your entire family defenceless in Phoenix. I could have held them hostage, but I didn't. I thought at least one of my workers would be able to take care of you."

I smirked smugly. "No such luck, asshole."

He punched me in the left cheek, causing me to fall down again.

"Don't you _ever_ lip me off, Redbird!" he roared. "Don't tell me you forgot your training already?"

I stood up, gritting my teeth.

"You know what, James?" I asked, wiping the blood off of my lips. "You're just pissed because you know I'm stronger than you. My mind and muscles are sharper than yours and after all the kills I've accomplished, I'm pretty sure I could handle killing your filthy ass."

Hopefully my false confidence would throw him off.

He punched me in the nose this time, surely breaking it. I let out a groan, holding my face as the blood poured.

Then he kicked me in the stomach, making me bow with pain, eventually falling to my knees.

"So you're stronger than me, huh?" he asked mockingly, walking behind me again. He pulled my head back using my hair. "I've always owned you, Bella Swan."

"You've never owned me, James," I hissed.

He held his foot against the small of my back, forcing me to arch at an uncomfortable angle.

"What did you say?" he growled.

"You've never owned me!" I screamed.

He pushed me to the floor and jumped on my calf, trying to break my leg. It didn't work.

I laughed through the pain. "Hardening solution, remember?"

He growled, picking me back up and throwing me against the wall. My entire body ached.

I groaned as I curled up in a ball, trying to find some strength.

"Not stronger than me?" he roared. "Not stronger than me? Think again, bitch. You'll never be as strong as me."

I looked at him, my anger growing. "I may not be as strong as you claim to be, but I'm strong enough to kill you."

I stood up and threw my aching body at him, forcing us to fall to the ground. I started punching him everywhere my fists could connect. I heard smacks and cracks, signifying a good job on my behalf. James kept trying to move me, but I was moving too quickly for him to catch a grip of me.

Finally his arm connected with the left side of my head, forcing me to topple over. It didn't hurt, so I was back on my feet quickly.

James was bleeding all over the place. He looked furious. I noticed he had a steel bat in his hand now.

"That's it," he panted, walking towards me. "You asked for it."

"Bring it on, bitch," I sneered. I wasn't going down without a fight.

He roared and ran at me, bat held high. He swung it at my shoulder, but I caught it with the opposite hand. James pulled away quickly and connected with my ribcage. There were a few cracks.

I sucked in a breath and before I knew it, he swung the bat at my left thigh. I heard a snap and I crumpled to the ground. James swung the bat at me again, hitting my left arm, but not breaking anything this time.

I passed out after that. I was thanking God for that. I was in so much pain. I just wanted it to be over.

But there was no white light, or even any flames, to direct me to where I could find eternal rest. It was a mix of colours and I felt like I was spinning. I was so dizzy and hurt.

Then I heard a gunshot and I knew I was finally dead.

* * *

**So, how do you think it'll end? If you love Seducing Revenge, you'll review to tell me how you think it'll end!**

**Seriously the best fight I've ever written. I write in a sort of catatonic state where I don't react to anything I write, or even remember what I write for that matter. Then I read it over, and I'm like, "Jesus H. Christ, Mary, you're a crazy bitch." That's exactly what my reaction to this chapter was. I hate what I had to write, but I was impressed with how I wrote it.**

**And steel bats can do a lot of damage. Don't underestimate the steel bat. I'm scared of bats even though I'm a ball player. **

**Well, that's all I have to say. The next chapter is the last chapter. :'( I'm so sad. I don't wanna give up Seducing Revenge. But I gotta let go, I suppose. So, yeah, one more chapter, and an epilogue, and then so long, farewell, goodnight, fuck yeah.**

**Song:**

**It's Not My Time – 3 Doors Down**

**Review! (Let's get OVER 300 this time!)**


	22. Chapter 22

**The long-awaited finale of Seducing Revenge is here! And thank you for getting me to over 300 reviews! That makes me so damn happy its retarded!**

**Enjoy! Don't cry too much!**

* * *

Edward

I watched Bella in a numb state of mind, not enjoying her dancing at all.

_She's going to die, she's going to die, she's going to die,_ was all that ran through my head. Those four words alone had the power to consume my mind and clench my heart in an icy chokehold.

She walked to James in what seemed like fast forward. Before I knew it, she was making out with him while straddling his lap. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I was just watching when I should have clearly been acting.

She left to change and came back, led by James to a side door.

I couldn't let this happen. I couldn't let love die again. My heart couldn't handle anymore torture than it already had taken.

I held my keys tightly in my hands and walked swiftly out to my Volvo. I grabbed my cell phone out of the glove compartment and dialled someone that I would never thought I would ever phone.

Jacob.

"Hello," he answered groggily. "Who is this?"

"Jacob, it's Edward Cullen," I greeted quickly, starting my car and revving out into traffic. "I need your help."

"Well, fuck you, Edward," Jacob replied angrily. "You hurt Bella–"

"I know, Jacob," I interrupted through clenched teeth. "But if you don't help me now, James is going to kill her."

There was silence and then a quiet, "Okay."

"I need James's address," I quickly mumbled while I blew stoplights on the way to nowhere in particular.

"Apartment eight-one-two, six-twelve, forty-nine, Eugene Street East," Jacob replied instantaneously.

"Thank you, Jacob," I murmured before snapping my phone closed.

I did a quick U-turn, spinning around to drive north instead of south. I pushed the gas pedal to the floor, not willing to waste any time.

After ten minutes of fast driving and sharp turns, I skidded to a stop in front of James's apartment building. I fumbled around my car for my badge and gun, and then sprinted into the building.

"Excuse me, sir?" the doorman gruffly inquired. "I'm afraid I don't recognize you."

I flashed my badge. "FBI. I need to get into one of the apartments before someone dies."

The doorman's eyes widened and he ran to the elevator. I followed him.

"Apartment eight-twelve," I murmured.

He swiped his card and pressed eight and we were off.

"Mr. McCarthy?" the doorman croaked incredulously.

I nodded curtly.

"He did have a woman with him tonight," the doorman murmured. "I hope we're there in time..."

"Me too," I whispered, hoping for the best, and not letting myself expect the worst.

After what seemed like hours, we got to the eighth floor. The doorman led me down the hallway to James's apartment.

"I don't have a key," the doorman murmured, horrified.

He began running at the door, trying to knock it open, but it was no use.

I shot the door handle and kicked the door open, entering the apartment cautiously. I could hear the doorman behind me.

I heard laboured breathing across the apartment. As quietly as I could, I followed the sounds.

I heard James mutter, "Shit." Then some rustling around, like he was looking through drawers for something.

The door was open a crack and I looked through it at an angle. Bella was sprawled across the floor, bleeding, and her limbs at dangerously wrong angles. From the looks of it, her left leg was broken for sure. I couldn't be sure about her other appendages. I was too far away.

I looked at James. He was searching through drawers in only his boxers while holding a bloody bat. That was all the proof I needed.

I burst into the room, my gun held at shooting level.

"James McCarthy, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Bella Swan," I uttered in a grim voice.

The bastard started laughing.

"Younger Cullen? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, turning to face me with a smirk.

"I'm here to arrest you," I replied calmly, holding my gun up still.

He shook his head, still smirking. I noticed that his face was bleeding in several places and bruises were starting to form.

"Why would you arrest me when the number one wanted criminal in the U.S.A. is lying on the ground right there?" he muttered, pointing at Bella's broken body.

"We'll deal with her later," I answered through gritted teeth. "Right now, you're under arrest for attempted homicide."

James shook his head, getting frustrated. "You don't seem to understand the concept of good and bad, Cullen. I'm good, she's bad. She's a murderer, I'm a government official."

"Trying to kill her doesn't make you good, McCarthy," I murmured, stepping closer to Bella.

"But it does tie her down long enough for you to arrest her," James replied with a smirk, also moving closer to Bella.

"Freeze, James," I murmured fiercely.

"Why should I listen to someone that I'm superior to?" James asked, moving closer to Bella again, holding the blood-covered bat tightly.

"Because I have the gun," I suggested.

James shook his head, smirking still. He spun the bat in his hand as he stood directly over Bella's broken body. Suddenly he lifted the bat and swung down, cracking a few of Bella's ribs.

I pulled the trigger and shot him in his left shoulder. He grinned at me again, lifting the bat up high and quickly connecting with Bella's cheek.

I heard a shot. It wasn't from my gun. James got a pained look on his face as he crumpled to the ground, dropping bat onto the hardwood floor. He fell right on top of Bella, blood seeping from his bullet wound, which was near his heart, onto Bella's bar stomach.

I turned around and saw the doorman holding a gun up high, still ready to shoot.

"I-I'm sorry," he murmured, dropping the gun to the ground. "I couldn't let him hurt that girl anymore."

"You did the right thing," I assured him.

"The police and the ambulance are on their way right now," he told me, calming down a bit.

"Good," I whispered as I walked over to Bella.

I couldn't touch her because I wasn't sure what was broken. But I wanted to so badly. I hovered my ear over her slightly parted lips and felt ragged breaths hit me. She was barely holding on.

"Oh, Bella," I whispered, lightly touching the back of her pale hand. "Stay with me, love. I love you. I need you here with me."

I kept whispering words that I hoped would bring her back to life. Even as the paramedics gingerly picked her up and carted her away, I followed, still whispering to her, hoping it would bring her back to me.

Her heart failed once on the way to the hospital, and I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. Hearing her flatline, watching her body as the Defibulator pads tapped her chest, listening to the paramedics yell "Clear!"... It all scared me.

They got her heartbeat back and I felt tears come to my eyes. She was alive. She wasn't okay, but she was alive.

"Stay with me, Bella," I whispered. "I love you."

* * *

Bella

There was a bright light blinding me through my closed eyelids. Ugh, where am I. Why is it so bright?

I groaned and rolled over, trying to get into a comfortable position. Sleep. That was the only thing I needed right now was sleep.

But that damn bright light wouldn't go away. I opened my eyes, and the light diminished. I was in an interrogation room. Every person that I'd ever killed was in here in order of last to first.

Aro was smiling at me from his chair. I realized I was sitting in a chair as well.

"Hello, Bella," he greeted warmly. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."

I scowled at him, confused.

"You're in purgatory," he explained, gesturing to the room around me.

"Purgatory?" I murmured in shock. "I'm dead?"

Aro shook his head. "No, not completely."

"Why am I here then?" I asked, still confused.

"To decided whether you live or go on," Aro answered, clasping his hands together on the table.

"What do I have to do?" I asked warily.

"Listen and answer," Aro replied simply. "We all get one brief biography, one question, and one answer from you."

I nodded. "Okay."

"I'll start," Aro began with a warm smile. "I'm Aro Basso. I was born in Italy, but quickly moved to the States for a government job. I became a part of Project R, and then retired once you ran away." Aro paused. "Now, my question. Why did you assume James had the power to kill you?"

"He knows more about me than anyone in world," I answered calmly. "He knows everything about my past, which defines who I am today. He knows how to push my buttons and what my weaknesses are."

"Fair enough," Aro murmured before vanishing into thin air.

Victoria was in the seat now.

"Hello, Redbird," she greeted coldly.

"Tompkins," I answered with a nod.

"I am Victoria Tompkins, the recruiter and record keeper for Project R. I recruited every member but you. My life was spent working. I had no personal life. My question is why didn't you respect me?"

"You came off as a slut and I will never have respect for a woman of that nature," I replied coolly, crossing my arms.

Victoria grinned. "The truth." And she disappeared.

Yorkie was in her place. "Hey, Redbird. It's Roger. I was recruited to Project R by Victoria because of my advanced hacking skills. It's all I've ever known. My question is why did you endure the regular torture without saying anything?"

"That wasn't torture, Yorkie," I sneered. "That was child's play. I've been beaten, burnt, and I've been degraded. That doesn't even hurt anymore."

Yorkie nodded and he was gone.

I went through every kill. Some biographies shocked me. Some people had families, some people only did this for extra money, some had no idea what the project was all about. Some stories made me cry real tears for the first time in five years. Some questions were hard to answer because I felt so guilty, but I still answered.

Now Mike was in the chair.

"Hello, Bella. I've been waiting here for quite some time because of you. I'm Michael Newton, I was a star quarterback, and I had a great life. My question is–"

The room ripped away and I was floating again. Then I settled back into my body and tried to take a breath, but there was something shoved down my throat.

I was choking for a second before the tube finally got ripped out of my throat. I sucked in a breath, revelling in the fact that I could breathe by myself, even though it was a bit painful.

I tried to open my eyes, but they were so heavy. I groaned with effort, hating not being able to assess my surroundings.

"Isabella?" a voice asked me. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," I rasped.

"That's wonderful," the voice assured me. "You've been out for quite some time. This is week number two already."

"What's the date?" I asked quietly.

"February eleventh, two-thousand-nine," the voice answered.

I had been at The Lair on the twenty-eighth of January. Wow. Two whole weeks. Amazing.

I tried to open my eyes and it worked this time. I had to blink a few times to get everything into focus.

I saw a lovely girl with black spiky hair in scrubs looking down at me with a bright smile. Her name tag said Dr. Alice Hale.

"Welcome back, Isabella," she chimed.

"Bella, please," I murmured with a weak smile.

She laughed. "Okay, _Bella._"

I looked past Dr. Hale and saw two men in black suits standing at my door.

"Why are they here?" I asked, nodding to the big guys.

Dr. Hale smiled sadly at me. "You're under arrest, sweetie."

"Shit," I whispered, wide-eyed. "They finally caught me."

Dr. Hale laughed nervously. "Well, I think I'll just take out the rest of your tubes and let you talk to your lawyer."

She gently took out my IV and various other needles and took off.

I was still shocked that I was under arrest after five years of getting away.

Then someone that I needed walked through the door.

Edward.

"Bella," he breathed, walking swiftly over to my side. He swept the hair off my forehead. "You're awake."

I thought I'd better deal with the bad now rather than later.

So, I raised an eyebrow and murmured, "Yes, I guess I am. I was supposed to die two weeks ago, but I'm miraculously here."

Edward's eyes widened in shock. "Bella, I–"

"You interfered, Edward," I continued. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear in the dressing room. I didn't want your help. Either I was going to kill James myself or be killed, like I always knew it would happen. Not once in five years has anyone helped me on the job."

"But, Bella," he murmured, brushing the back of my hand with his fingertips, not looking at me. "I can't live without you. I love you."

Tears came to my eyes. Well, they should have anyway, because now I knew I was going to be alive long enough to hear Edward say those three perfect words again.

"I love you too, Edward," I croaked in a thick voice. "I would hug you, but something tells me that would hurt a bit, and the pain would make me want to move more, and–" I stopped myself, shaking my head. "It'd just be bad."

Edward smiled at me, holding his hand to my cheek.

"I'm not done being mad at you," I warned, "but I'll let it slide for now. I'll wait until I'm myself again.

Edward chuckled, his voice catching at the end. I noticed tears swimming in his brilliant green eyes.

I reached my hand up to his cheek and wiped away his tears.

"I'm sorry, Edward," I whispered.

He shook his head, laughing. "No, don't be sorry. I'm just so _happy_ and relieved that you're alive and yourself. When I found you–" He shook his head, the tears swimming again. "When I found you at James's apartment, you looked so beyond repair. And then you flatlined, and–" He passed, trying to get rid of the tremble in his voice. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my entire life."

I pursed my lips to hold back the dry sobs. I gripped the wrist that was holding my face and ran my fingers through Edward's hair with my other hand.

He closed his eyes, silent tears sliding down his sad, pained face.

"I didn't think I could affect you that much," I whispered in a thick voice.

Edward smiled and opened his eyes. "You turned my world upside down and inside out, Isabella Marie Swan, and I don't regret any of it.

"You made me break all the rules, Edward Anthony Cullen, and I'm glad you did," I replied.

We sat there in silence for minutes, which turned into hours. No one disturbed us as we rejoiced in the fact that eventually we would get out of here. Together.

**THE END**

* * *

**Yes, "The End." Unfortunately, Seducing Revenge has come to its conclusion. But, don't forget to wait for the epilogue, which will be finished ASAP. **

**Any questions, review or PM me. Any requests for outtakes, review me or PM me. I have one or two up my sleeves that I'd really like to add in. Deleted scenes are always the best. Extended scenes are even better. There's a certain chapter that I wanted to extend on, so that it doesn't cut off right before the good stuff. Yes, it's smut.**

**Songs:**

**Saturday Night's Alright – Nickelback  
Face Down – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
Bring Me to Life – Evanescence**

**Don't forget to review! 'Cause it'd be cool if all the fans said their final goodbyes!**


	23. Epilogue

**This is it! Definitely my favourite chapter, I think. And, as for the extended and deleted scenes, I'm sorry, dudes. I'm way too damn busy as it is to continue this story. It's really the end this time.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Bella

"Edward, where are you?" I whispered into my head set walkie talkie.

"I'm in the northeast corner of the second floor, over," Edward breathed back. "Bella, you have to say 'over,' over."

I rolled my eyes with a smile. "You're ridiculous...over."

"That's more like it, over."

I held my gun at shooting level and walked quickly through the smoke overlaying the area. I hid behind a wall closer to my target. He was defenceless now.

I pulled away from the wall and held my finger on the trigger, ready to go in for the kill.

I felt a gun brush at my bare neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" a woman asked from behind me.

"I'm about to shoot your husband," I answered calmly.

"Oh, hell no you aren't!" she screeched.

She pulled her gun away from my neck and shot me in the back.

The target on my back dinged.

"Rosalie!" I exclaimed, turning around. "It's supposed to be guys on girls, remember?"

"I heard you talking to Edward on your fancy walkie talkie, Bella," she argued.

I laughed before shooting her in the chest and sticking out my tongue before turning around and shooting Emmett in the back.

"Awe, fuck!" Emmett exploded when he heard his target ding.

I saw Jasper cornering Alice and I shot him quickly in the back a few times. Then Alice got him a bunch of times in the chest.

The only person I hadn't seen yet was Edward. I couldn't let him sneak up on me.

I quickly left the scene, searching for my husband. He was a sly laser tagger. He never came out of hiding until everyone was tired out.

"What the fuck, over?" I whispered into the microphone by my mouth. "Where are you, over?"

Edward laughed. "Oh, Bella, that's for me to know and for you to find out, over."

"I _will_ find out, over," I replied fiercely, running up the ramp.

I walked around the second floor, hearing my in-laws and friends laugh and shoot each other. They didn't get as into laser tag as Edward and I did.

I stayed as quiet as possible as I roamed no man's land, searching for the enemy.

Edward popped up out of nowhere and grabbed me by the waist and easily threw me to the ground. He straddled my waist and pinned my arms down.

I raised an eyebrow at him as I felt his erection against me. He just shrugged with a grin.

"The idea of catching you turns me on," he explained nonchalantly. He leaned into me. "Having sex while we're playing laser tag turns me on even more.

I laughed shortly. "Tell me something that doesn't turn you on."

"Having Esme walk in on us when I'm about to be cured of my morning wood," Edward answered automatically.

Our youngest child liked to crawl into bed with us first thing in the morning, much to Edward's dismay.

"Is it a turn-off when I'm pregnant?" I asked him slyly.

"No," he murmured against my neck. "I love it when you're horny and pregnant."

I smiled giddily. "Good, 'cause I'm pregnant again."

Edward pulled away. "What?"

Oh shit. What if he didn't want another kid?

"I-I'm pregnant," I whispered.

"Bella, that's-that's amazing!" Edward exclaimed leaning down to kiss me.

He let go of my hands so I could wrap them around his neck.

We made out on the floor for a while before Edward pulled away.

"When did you find out that you're pregnant?" he gasped huskily.

"A few weeks ago," I murmured. "I was waiting just...just in case."

Edward nodded solemnly. We had lost our last baby because I had miscarried. I hadn't known I was pregnant and a big Russian man beat me pretty badly while I was on a quick mission to Denmark last year.

"But, I'm already seven weeks along now," I continued joyfully.

"That's wonderful, Bella," Edward whispered before kissing me again.

My life has seriously changed in the past four years. Edward and I got married about two months after I got out of the hospital on a whim. It was just us two in Vegas. The FBI dropped the charges because I agreed to work for them. They needed an experienced female agent in the international affairs bureau. The only thing that sucks about that is that I have to be away from my kids at least two weekends a month. But, Emmett's very good to me. He's given me mat leave every time I've been pregnant and he always makes sure that Edward and I never work together so that one of us is always at home with the kids.

Project R was destroyed by yours truly. Well, except for Alex Palomino, the doorman that killed James while I was unconscious. We send him a Christmas card every year in thanks.

Carlisle and I filed a case against James for abusing and torturing me. I got all of his money in the end. The jury was absolutely sickened by what James had done to me. One woman ran out of the room to throw up while I described what it felt like to get your fingers cut off.

I got pregnant soon after Edward and I got married. We named our first two sons (they were twins) Jacob Aro Cullen, in honour of Jake and Aro since both of them have had a huge impact on our lives, and Emmett Charlie Cullen, because Emmett and I had gotten extremely close during that time. Unfortunately, didn't have tear ducts and Emmett's bones were nearly unbreakable because of me. The surgeries and antiserums had run so deep that my genetic makeup had been altered. Jacob and Emmett had just turned three a few weeks ago.

And, Edward's little angel, Esme Renee Cullen. She's one-and-a-half now, and the girl version of Edward. She's the only child with Edward's hair and my eyes. Jacob and Emmett both have my hair and Edward's eyes. She really is daddy's little girl. Esme had taken my abnormal strength. My nipples had nearly been ripped off the first time I breast fed. We had to give her bottles, a steel crib, and specially made toys. At least Edward wouldn't have to worry about Es and boys.

Edward pulled into the driveway of our rather large home in Washington and I could practically hear Jacob and Emmett running towards the door, yelling at the top of their lungs while Emily Uley, our babysitter, tried to calm them down.

Edward and I got out of the vehicle and walked into the house hand-in-hand.

"MAMA!" Emmett yelled as he ran at me full tilt. Thank God I was still strong because Emmett neatly bowled me over when he latched onto my legs.

I ruffled his curly brown hair. "Hey, Emmy. How was your day?"

"Good!" he chirped. "Did ya beat Dad at laser tag again?"

I grinned at Edward. "Of course."

Edward scoffed as he picked up little Es. "I don't think so, baby."

"Mama beat you," Emmett sang. Emmett was always on my side.

I raised an eyebrow and smirked at Edward.

I quickly paid Emily and thanked her for putting up with my crazy children.

"Do we need to settle the score outside, Dad?" I asked Edward.

He leaned into my ear. "Maybe we need to settle this in the bedroom tonight."

I blushed and bit my lip.

"What did Dad say, Mama?" Emmett asked me as he pulled on my t-shirt.

"He said that he doesn't think I can beat him!" I quickly lied.

Emmett started laughing. "Jake, who do you think'll win? Mama or Dad?"

Jacob was just like Jake from Phoenix. He was a thinker.

"What are they playin'?" he asked.

"Whatcha playin', Mama?" Emmett asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

"What _are_ we playing, Dad?" I asked with a smirk.

"How about tag?" Edward asked Es, who was smiling widely.

She giggled, blowing spit bubbles out of her mouth and clapping excitedly.

"I'll take that as a yes," Edward laughed.

I grabbed Es's walker and led my family outside. Emmett and Jacob were running around the swingset, waiting for Edward and I to get organized.

I tapped Edward on the shoulder as he set Es in the walker.

"You're it," I whispered into his ear. "If you can catch me, I'll ride you so hard you'll forget how to breathe."

Edward choked on his own tongue as I grinned and ran away.

"Dad's it, Dad's it!" I called, running behind the sandbox.

Emmett yelled as he ran to the rosebush and Jacob quickly scampered behind the shed.

I smiled at Edward, placing my hands on my knees as I waited for the chase to begin.

"Come on, Edward," I taunted.

"Oh, I'll be coming, baby," Edward answered, his voice giving away the double meaning.

Edward sprinted through the sandbox and I squealed as I ran to the playhouse. Edward was right on my heels as I turned the corner, running towards the rosebush where Emmett was hiding.

"Em!" I cried. "Help me!"

Emmett hopped out from behind the rosebush with his hands on his hips.

"Stop, Dad!" he exclaimed. "Imma superhero and I gotta save Mama from you!"

Edward easily picked Emmett up and tucked him under his arm, still running after me.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Emmett yelled as Edward ran with him.

I started laughing so hard that I had to stop running. I loved my life so much that it hurt sometimes.

I laid down on the ground beside Es's walker, holding my stomach as I laughed.

Edward set Emmett down hastily before leaning down by my feet and dragging my body towards him. He sat down on my waist and put his hands on either side of my face.

"I win," he breathed before kissing me.

"Ugh! Dad! Don't kiss Mama!" Emmett exclaimed from behind Edward. "Boys don't kiss girls!"

I giggled as I tightened my grip on Edward's neck and kissed him hard again.

"Mama," Jacob groaned.

"Mama!" Esme cried, jumping up and down in her walker.

Emmett jumped on Edward's back. "Dad! You're gunna get cooties from Mama!"

I let my mouth hang open in mock shock. "Emmett! Do you think I have cooties?"

Emmett nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Mama, but Carson said all girls have cooties, even Mama's. Right, Jake?"

Jacob nodded solemnly.

"What has Uncle Emmett been teaching his children?" I muttered to myself.

I grabbed Emmett off of Edward's back and began kissing his face, making him giggle and yell at me.

"Mama!" he kept yelling. "Stop it!"

"Now you have cooties too!" I declared proudly.

"Eww!" Emmett screamed.

"I'm not sleepin' with him, Mama," Jacob told me seriously.

"You know what gets rid of cooties? A bath," Edward informed our sons.

Edward bathed Emmett and Jacob while I took care of Esme. Esme may be her father's daughter, but she was still a lot like me. She was stubborn and always extreme in her emotions. So, I always did her bath and put her to bed.

I traded with Edward when it came to putting the kids to sleep. He sang to Esme and I told Emmett and Jacob a story.

The house was finally silent. We could finally have Edward and Bella time rather than being parents.

Edward brushed his teeth wearing nothing but his boxers while I changed into my sexiest lingerie.

I walked into the bathroom in my short, dark blue silk dress. I kissed Edward's shoulder as I ran my arms down his biceps.

Edward wiped his mouth quickly and turned to face me, catching my lips with his.

He ran his hands down my back to cup my ass, lifting me off the floor and quickly carrying me to our bed.

Edward threw me down and began groping my breasts through my tiny dress with one hand and hitching my right leg with the other.

"Uh, uh, uh," I murmured against his lips. "Don't you remember the prize? _I_ get to ride _you._"

Edward chuckled throatily. "How could I forget something like that?"

I rolled us over quickly and pulled my dress off so that I was completely naked before putting my mouth on Edward's neck. He groaned while I sucked and nipped at his skin. I moaned while he massaged my ass and low back.

I started pushing Edward's boxers down with my toes before getting frustrated and ripping them off with my hands.

"God, I love it when you get impatient," Edward growled huskily, his green eyes dark with lust.

I smiled seductively at him as I pulled off of him and guided his cock into my wet, hot centre. I placed my hands on Edward's abs as I began to slide up and down on his erection, picking a fast speed. Skin was slapping on skin and we were both moaning each other's names in sheer ecstasy. Edward quickly sat up so that his cock reached even deeper inside of me.

I felt a tightening in my stomach as I thrashed my body against Edward's harder than I had in a long time.

Finally, the dam broke inside me and I screeched, "Edward!" before feeling Edward orgasm and cum inside me with a loud, "Fuck, Bella!"

I leaned my head against Edward's chest as he fell back down on the bed. We both were panting and sweating and completely happy.

Edward pulled a blanket over us and ran his hand over my hair as our breathing evened out, eventually leading to us falling asleep.

I was the luckiest girl in the world. I was once the most wanted assassin in the States, surely getting a death sentence if I was caught, and now I had a perfect family. Life couldn't get any better than this.

**THE END FOR REAL THIS TIME.**

* * *

***tear* Yes, 'tis true. It's the end for realsies. I'll miss writing this story a ton, but it was just the right time to end it. No sequels will ever be coming from me ever, P.S.**

**Fuck, do I ever love my little Emmett. I wanna kid like that. A fucking loud ass kid that's fucking awesome. Kids like that kill me. Speaking of kids killing me, I'll just share a quick, cute story about that: I was at the park with my younger sisters, fooling around, playing tag and what-not, when this play school kid comes to the park all by himself. He's one of the funniest five-year-olds I know, no joke. He said something crazy, and I said, "Oh my Lord, kids kill me." And he looks me straight in the eyes, serious as a priest and says, "I won't kill you." God, did I ever laugh. Sorry for the random story, but fuck. If that's not funny, I don't know what is.**

**I dunno if anyone else watches Family Guy, but the whole "What the fuck, over?", "Brian, you didn't say over, are you done talking, over?", and "This conversation is over, over." is a hot calamity here in Saskatchewan. Honestly, this whole long weekend, my best friend and I would drunk dial each other and greet each other with, "What the fuck, over?" instead of a normal "Hey, pal, how's it goin'?" I think everyone should start saying "What the fuck, over?" 'cause it's funny, haha.**

**Remember the brown-haired kid from Dennis the Menace, the movie? That's what my little Emmett looks like. The Dennis the Menace from the '90's, P.S. I'm a '90's kid.**

**Song:**

**If I Never See Your Face Again – Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna**

**Also, if you loved Seducing Revenge, and you're wondering if I write other fanfics, check out my profile. I have a romantic comedy called Suave Secrets going on right now, a dancing Twilight fanfic called Dancing on Pianos, and I'm just writing up a bunch of long-awaited one-shots before beginning another fanfic where Bella has a terminal illness and intends to spend her last days to the fullest. It's gunna be a cute one. ;)**

**Well, would it be terrible for me to ask for everyone to review one last time? You guys have been AWESOME. I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN BEN&JERRY'S ICE CREAM. MWAH!**

**Review one last time!**


	24. Thank you!

Hey everyone. I know this story is finished, but I just wanted to give a big ol' shout out to whoever nominated this little story of mine for the Indie Awards. I'm truly honoured. This was my first nomination ever, and I'm so sorry to say that I didn't make it past the first round (not that I ever dreamed I would).

I was in Kenya, Africa when I got nominated, and while the contest was going on. So, if anyone voted for me without telling them, THANK YOU. YOU'RE THE BOMB.

If the person/people who nominated me would like to reveal themselves, I'd sure love to thank them personally! Maybe I could arrange a special one-shot or something...

As always,  
Lots of love,  
Mary  
(LadyInBlue6)


	25. An Update

**Hey, SR fans. It's me, again. No, it's not a chapter.**

**I'm doing NaNoWriMo for the second time in my life, and yes, it's cheating, but shh, don't tell anyone important, but, I think I'm going to make Seducing Revenge my novel for this year. Of course, I'll have to edit a lot of it, but I love this story and it feels like it's too original for me to give up on. **

**I won't be taking Seducing Revenge down yet, but if I do happen to get attention from NaNo about this idea, I will be taking it down. **

**Just so you know.**

**Love you all!  
Mary **


	26. Fandom Gives Back

Were you not satisfied with the missing pieces in Seducing Revenge? Upset with the ending of Suave Secrets? Wanted to hear a little more from Edward in The Kings of Forks? Interested in a continuation of any of my one-shots? Here's your chance to get exactly what you want!

I'm participating in Fandom Gives Back this summer. I'm offering three one-shots on a first come, first serve basis; one one-shot in a real auction-style, and one multi-chapter story in a real auction-style.

Here's the link to everything you can bid on:  
http:/www(.)thefandomgivesback(.)com/yourauctions(.)php  
Without the brackets, obviously.

I already have a bid on the multi-chapter! So if you're interested in that, hustle your bustle over to the site and start bidding!

Bidding ends on July 4, 2010.

Thanks very much for the support!  
lib6


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